


An Unlikely Romance: The Bleach Saga

by TheWolfSage



Category: Bleach
Genre: CYOA, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-05-02 02:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 370
Words: 251,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5230682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfSage/pseuds/TheWolfSage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A CYOA of vast and magnificent proportions, which may be the largest-scale story of its kind ever attempted that's still active. When you are put into the world of Bleach, what will you change? Will you be the strongest Shinigami that ever lived - the next Captain Commander? Will you find true love, your one and only? Will you slay Aizen and save the lives of your dearest friends? Or will you end up, crushed and broken at the feet of some Hollow before your prime, or dead at the hands of Aizen, an Espada, or some other terrible threat? Your own life and the lives of your friends are all at your fingertips, yours to control.</p>
<p>What will you choose?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_AO3 SPECIFIC UPDATE:_ To anyone who saw this story before... I failed you. I forgot about this account, this story, and basically this site for over three years. I didn't update it even as active updates poured out on other sites. Some of you probably found your way to GOTVG.net (the current most-active site I post this on), some of you probably forgot about it, and some of you might have been wondering to this day. Wonder no more. This story is not forgotten or abandoned, and to prove this, I'm about to start major update progress. Look forward to 2+ chapters a day for the near future (barring personal stuff), and a great deal of additions to my on-site profile.

For updates on this and my other stories, as well as contact info, check out my Profile.

Greetings, fanfiction readers. I have a proposal for you. I’m going to attempt what few people have: To make a CYOA that allows you to feel as if you're truly in control of your path through the world.

How, you ask? Well, I’m going to create a CYOA, obviously. But I’m going to add a little uniqueness, which needs to be explained – hence this long beginning note. I’ve seen too many stories where you start at chapter 1, then choose to go to chapter 2 OR 3, then go to chapter 4, then choose 5 OR 6, then 7, etc… These are not CYOA in my opinion. These are just stories where you choose (some) of what you’re reading, and if you’re LUCKY you can influence the ending. But even then, you can choose from maybe three, or four endings (again, if you’re lucky).

I am going to avoid making you go down the same path no matter what. Every chapter you read (on any given path) should be unique. You won't end up best friends with anyone (or enemies with anyone else) no matter what you do. This isn't a guarantee that every time you read the story it'll be different, though. Different paths may contain identical chapters. This is especially true the bigger and more important the event you are trying to change. For example, Aizen betraying Soul Society and attempting to take the Hogyoku at Sokyoku hill. Obviously no matter what character you have a relationship with, this will still happen; dating Rukia versus dating Orihime doesn’t really change the fact that Aizen is an ass. However, what may change is how prepared you are. Are you a romantic, with the strongest relationship in the world even so early in the story – but so weak that Aizen can literally kill you with a single punch? If so your character likely won’t be doing much, and in that way, even though the chapter contains the same events, they’ll play out differently.

You might be rescued by Captain Soi Fon, who charged into your rescue because of your strong relationship. Captain Hitsugaya might risk his life to save you from Aizen, because you have become close friends with him as his Third Seat in Squad Ten. Or, if you’re strong enough, perhaps you fight Aizen alone, save the day – or more accurately, avoid being killed long enough for reinforcements to arrive (it’s still early, after all). In fact, depending on your relationships with certain characters and your strength, new paths you haven’t considered may open up here…

Every choice you make in this story is going to affect not just what you read, but your character, the other characters, and the (eventual) ending you reach. I will have a list of invisible statistics, affected by the choices you make. A few might be:

Zanjutsu  
Kido  
Hakuda

These are just examples, and may or may not be included. Statistics like relationships, your overall strength, and key decisions will be tracked, and will make a difference in virtually every chapter you read. My point is that every choice you make will lead you to a chapter unique in some way. Maybe the same things will happen, but they will play out differently depending on what you’ve done up to that point. This could be as complex as a new location, or different characters appearing, or as simple as a few lines of dialogue being changed. Let’s use the three stats I put above to make an example…

Let’s say you’re in the Shinigami Academy. You might be presented with the option, at the end of the chapter, to either take an extra Zanjutsu lesson, an extra Kido lesson, or an extra Hakuda lesson. Those choices would then send you to another chapter. Let’s say that all three send you to meet up with Rukia Kuchiki, regardless of which you picked. Even then, they won’t go to the same chapter.

Instead all three will lead to separate chapters, which will each have its own minor differences based on the previous choices (and in MANY cases, choices you made several chapters ago, as well as your overall relationship with a character).These are extreme examples, but let’s say that this happens:

-You practice Zanjutsu, and you smell from the physical exertion, and Rukia reacts negatively.  
-You practice Kido, and Rukia reacts positively, approving of your newfound mastery of Kido, as that is one of her strengths.  
-You practice Hakuda, and Rukia reacts neutrally, impressed by your toughness yet not attracted because of bruises you accrued.

These are rather extreme examples, especially considering the setting, but you get the idea – every choice has an impact, even on the things that don’t seem that important. More realistically, it’s likely that Rukia would comment differently depending on your choice, and then proceed normally. Any positive or negative gains from such a choice would be minimal on her.

However, what about afterward?

Maybe three, five, TWO DOZEN chapters later you have to fight a Hollow as your first mission as a real Shinigami. Those choices that you made all the way back at the Academy are STILL present, and still very, very important. You’re presented with three strategies to take the Hollow down. Since then you’ve befriended Rukia and have trained your Kido skills with her, so you feel confident enough to try a high-level Bakudo spell to bind the Hollow to make slaying it nigh-effortless.

Because of that training you took earlier, you just barely have the necessary skill to weave the incantation, binding the Hollow as you slide your blade through its mask.

Perhaps if you had taken the Zanjutsu training you would’ve failed to bind the Hollow, but you would have been able to combat it on equal ground.

Perhaps if you had taken Hakuda, you wouldn’t be able to land a killing blow; instead you would batter the Hollow senseless and it would escape, not purified by your Zanpakutou.

…Or, perhaps you didn’t train. Perhaps you’ve trained part of the time, but not enough; your Kido fails, the Hollow bats away your sword from your unskilled hands, and then devours your soul when your weak blows fall upon its hide.

This is a CYOA which I’m going to try to make greater, longer, and more massive-feeling than any other. In the end there will be hundreds of chapters with dozens of endings, and not all of them will be positive. Assuming all my ideas pan out the way I plan, you could potentially end up with any girl from Bleach (any girl who has actually been moderately important to the story, let’s be realistic here), you could end up with MORE than one, you could even end up with all of them (and yes, this will be an ending). You could end up as the Captain Commander of Soul Society, replacing Yamamoto either by succession through his death or by defeating him… perhaps you even killed him yourself. You could end up as the ruler of Hollows, corrupted and turned into a Vizard or Arrancar who betrayed his former allies in Soul Society to lead Hueco Mundo to a new era. You could be Aizen’s henchman, determined to overthrow Soul Society, fighting (and even winning) against the likes of Kurosaki Ichigo. While in his employ you might follow in the footsteps of certain others and betray Aizen, a double agent, attempting to kill him to save Soul Society… or you might simply kill him to take his place and conquer Soul Society yourself. You might discover the true nature of Hollows, become Kisuke Urahara’s next pupil and the next great innovator of Soul Society, you might be stationed in Karakura town and befriend Chad, Orihime, even Ichigo and Uryu. You might be the next great Captain, replacing one of the traitors and befriending the likes of Soi Fon, Byakuya, and the infamous Zaraki Kenpachi.

Or... you might flunk out of the Shinigami Academy. You might be forced into the streets and live your life out as another unknown soul in the Seireitei. You might make it into the Academy only to be crippled, maimed, or murdered during a training mission in the human world. You might be devoured by a Hollow during your first mission as a Shinigami, you might be mind controlled by a new Hollow and forced as their slave for the rest of your life. You might be slain by Aizen during his battle against Soul Society, or you might be cut down by one of his Espada while trying to stop him. You could join him, but just as easily be killed by Ichigo Kurosaki during his assault on Hueco Mundo, or anyone else who opposes the Hollows. Perhaps, more simply… you will simply be afflicted with bad luck, bad timing, or bad choices, and wind up with nobody. Whether you make too many wrong moves on the girls, get permanently injured, or simply spend too much time training and not enough time socializing, the result could be the same. For what have you accomplished to become the Captain Commander, slayer of Aizen and savior of Soul Society… if you must bear the burden of responsibility alone, and all your glory has brought you nobody to share the new peace with?

I understand that this is a massive undertaking, and I understand there may be others who have done it before, maybe even better. Because of this, I’m writing everything here (that I have written before this sentence, anyway) to explain as best I can to explain how this is unique, and why I think you should read this and will enjoy it. Now, in order to give a sort of contract of quality, I’m going to list some promises I’m going to make.

1\. I promise to personally respond to any and all reviews which leave a method of communication; I will reply to them directly on the sites that allow it. I would love to be able to reply in the story for those sites that do not allow this, but unfortunately placing them on individual chapters (because of the size and scope of this CYOA) would make them nearly impossible to ever find; a review on Chapter 52 might be replied to on Chapter 87, which the reviewer might never even see!

2\. I promise so long as I have reason to believe people are reading and interested in this story, I will update at least once a week. Keep in mind that says AT LEAST. I would definitely like to update once a day, maybe more. [This will now be accurate for AO3 as well as GOTVG.net]

3\. I promise I will not be harsh with my use of ‘bad endings’. No, I will not kill you in the third choice of the game; nor will making one to two bad choices cost you a romance chance, nor will NOT choosing to train EVERY time the option comes up make you completely inadequate and cannon fodder when battle time comes around. Keep in mind Bad Ends are not meant to be my cruel tool to inflict pain and sadness on readers, but merely a backdrop, allowing me a silent but ever-present way to force readers to make intelligent choices; to not constantly attempt to fight the likes of Aizen when they’ve barely begun to train, to not ignore opportunities to train in favor of hitting on women constantly, and to constantly be aware of their strengths… and also their weaknesses.

4\. I promise to do my best to include multiple stories for each and every character, meaning more than one possible ending.

At the same time, I want to clarify a few things. These aren’t quality assurances; if anything, they’re promises about what I will NOT do.

1\. I will not make this easy-mode. If you repeatedly make choices that are bad, never train your skills, or don’t pay attention, you will likely die, lose out on the romance, or lose out on ALL romances.

2\. Not every ending will be a happy one. Just because you got them doesn't mean everything worked out in the end. To give a teaser, there will be "Bad End"s, but also "Evil End"s. Try and imagine what the difference might be... and what it might mean for your love.

3\. I will not tell you the result of a choice, or even tell you what you have accomplished. If your options at the end of a chapter are to report to Soul Society HQ to inquire about a mission or to stroll through Seireitei to relax, it’s possible that on your way to Soul Society HQ you might run into Soi Fon, who just received a mission of her own, and she or you could show interest in the other. If you stroll through Seireitei you might run into Rangiku and talk with her. But your choices won’t read something like “Report to Soul Society HQ (Soi Fon)” or “Stroll through Seireitei (Rangiku)”. In fact, even if you do speak with them, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be the ones you end up with – you’ll have multiple opportunities to meet each character, and whether or not you express interest in them (and whether or not you do so CORRECTLY) determines your favor with them and how often they show up in the future. Don’t worry; there will be a lot of choices that are obvious, and others that require you to have knowledge of the character but are still somewhat predictable. If you get a choice to visit the Squad Two barracks it should be fairly easy to guess the small range of characters you might encounter. This is just a warning that not all of the choices will be predictable; I want you to have some influence by character preference but really I want to see everyone go through this HONESTLY, the choices THEY would make.

4\. Similar to the above, I would like to add both a final promise and a warning: I promise I will try to allow interactions with, and potential for relationships with, as many of the characters as possible regardless of choices, however, I warn that I will not stretch plot, personalities, or histories to allow you to go through a romance with Orihime when you continually choose to remain in Soul Society without so much as visiting Karakura Town, nor will I allow you to romance Grimmjow when you show little, no, or negative affection for Arrancar.

5\. This is going to be a long ordeal. I’m aware that people want to see their end, and I’m going to do my best to write quickly, but the fact of the matter is that I’m going to be writing THOUSANDS of chapters for this story. I promise to keep active as long as I have reason to believe people are reading and enjoying this, but I’m going to go through no less than six phases (Childhood, Shinigami Academy, Shinigami Career, Soul Society Arc, Preparation for Aizen, War Against Aizen) and potentially MORE, AND each of these phases is going to contain multiple endings, multiple chances for failure, many many choices, and (possibly) multiple chapters that don’t have choices, but simply build plot and describe scenes based on your previous choices. The further I go the more chapters I have to make; I’m both dreading and savoring the thought of completing the story (likely in the distant future), because it will take enormous effort but will also be enormously rewarding.

6\. Some of the characters' timelines (around the time of the Turn Back The Pendulum Arc, but also a few from later) will be moved around, for the sake of evening it out a little bit character-load-wise. This also allows me to make easier segmentations to keep the number of possible timelines from becoming ridiculous beyond the level of ridiculousness they will already reach.

These warnings I’m really only including for the sake of flamers, haters, or those who think that this is just going to be the equivalent of a video game with a quick save-quick load feature. (Yes, I’m aware that you can just go back a few chapters, but it won’t always be obvious WHICH choice made something happen). I’m going to make this story as fun, enjoyable, and dramatic as I possibly can in the space of a few chapters.

I promise this is the last I will drone on. Without further ado, I thank you for reading this, and I will begin the first chapter now.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Your name is… well, not important. Your background, however, is.

You came from the streets of Seireitei, no memory of your former life, like most lost souls. You had been told that this was the case for everyone by the Shinigami who exorcised you, performed… “kansu”? Although you couldn’t remember the exact word for what the loss was called. Memories created ties, ties created pain, and pain was what turned Plus into Hollows. Even once you were in Soul Society, why be tortured by the pain of your past life? Why remember loved ones who were still alive, who might not die for dozens of years, or even relatives who are dead but might have lost their own memories of you, and so be little more than strangers? It was a little odd knowing that you still had the memories of yourself as a ghost in the human world… yet you couldn’t remember anything of your life, like you had as a ghost. It was like someone had gone through your mind with a fine-toothed comb.

It was disturbing, but at the same time it was probably for the best. It was oddly relaxing, actually, to have no memories, no family, no connections. Not because of the fact that those were bad things, but simply because you had nobody else to worry about. As a teenager, you were a considerably young person – unbelievably young compared to the average age of people who died – and you had to fend for yourself as best you could, lacking the knowledge of how the world worked that the older generations did, or the understand of Soul Society that the others who had been there longer possessed.

You’ve only just entered this strange world of the dead. So in a way your background is important simply in the fact that you don’t really have one... yet. So why is a background that doesn’t exist so important?

Because background is history. And you’re about to start writing yours, right now. If you do it right… maybe you can even change the history of others.

~~~~

The day was hot, dry, and unfriendly. Stalls were closing early, people were locking themselves away inside their covered homes, and even rodents and insects were staying as far away from the almighty sun as they possibly could. Summer in the Seireitei came in two forms: Hot, and Devil’s Winter Vacation Home. This was the latter.

You were perched on top of a closed stall, resting lazily in the makeshift cloth hammock that you were commandeering. It was a loose cloth that you had doubled over and thrown over your body, keeping yourself partially shielded from the sun. Nobody really bothered to chastise you for the act; those that didn’t care were the majority, and the few who did were either already sitting at home or were too miserable to bother dealing with your antics. Sadly, this was the best you could do – for now. Your home, which had until recently proved an adequate shelter, had been compromised when another child fell through the roof in the middle of the night a few days ago. You had tried to sleep in it, but the skylight was too conveniently located above the bed; you’d woken up with massive sunburn the next day, too tired to awaken when the sun came down on you. You were currently sleeping whenever and wherever you could manage to put something over you, other than a blanket with twenty fist-sized holes in it.

But your short catnap had come to an end, and with little to do besides lay there and slowly suffocate and bake in the heat, you decided that you should head home. Even if your “bed” was uncovered to the above sunlight, you could at least huddle in the corner. It was in a rougher part of the neighbourhood... but you didn’t have much choice.

You sighed, flipping the cloth off of you and hopping down from the stall. You half-expected to hear the owner shouting at you from a nearby house, but nobody was around to accost you for using the roof of the stall for a temporary bed. The heat was too great for anyone sane, or at least anyone sane with a good home, to be out in this weather.

You crept toward your home at an agonizingly slow pace, too hot to go any faster but dying in the heat from going so slowly through the terrible, humid air.

“You kids… think you… anything you… kick your sorry…”

You heard just the vaguest words as you trotted along, so exhausted you didn’t even really stop to consider what they might actually mean, and so out of it you didn’t hear most of it. You just kept dragging your feet one after the other until you reached the street your house was on. Now you just had to turn and go another few blocks and you’d be there… on the poorer side of town, squatting, but at least it was a home.

You turned the corner and saw something; a blur of motion, coming right at you. You didn’t even have time to think in your addled state, much less react, and it plowed right into you, then through you. You were bowled over, and the blur didn’t fare much better, tripping over your fallen body after being slowed and disoriented by the impact.

You coughed, pushing yourself off the ground with one arm while rubbing your head with the other. Looking at the other person, you could only see their back, but judging by their size they weren’t much older than you. Aside from those two things, all you could notice about them was their…

**Blonde Hair: Go to Chapter 2**

**White Hair: Go to Chapter 3**

**Red Hair: Go to Chapter 4**


	2. Chapter 2

…Blonde hair. Long, too. Shaggy, unkempt, and hanging on the other side to where you couldn’t see most of it. That changed, however, as they turned, revealing the face of a young boy who was a little bit younger than you. He looked a bit dirty, but that could’ve been from the fall; aside from that he looked surprisingly… well, regal, in a way. He wasn’t like the rest of the souls from the Rukongai, dirty and ragged from years of making a living. His face was slightly pale but not marked by scars, imperfections or signs of a hard life.

“Gomenasai!” He spouted out quickly, turning and running away. You had time to spot a pair of apples in his hands just before he turned, and suddenly you understood what all the shouting had been about. What you didn’t understand was who was desperate enough for money to keep their stall open in heat like this, and who was desperate enough for food to steal in this kind of weather. It was so hot most people couldn’t even walk in the sun, much less run away from an angry shopkeeper.

Of course, that may have been a smart idea after all. The boy didn’t seem to be slowing down at all, and the shopkeeper was staggering, an older man, looking around forty which meant he was several hundred years old, and he was quickly tiring, his outfit covered in perspiration.

The man held out his arm, face still covered with anger (and sweat), growling and cursing at the child. Then his eyes fell to the ground, and he seemed to notice you. He paused for a moment, looking back up to the man, who was leaping up to a rooftop. You thought he was going to grab onto the top and pull himself up… but your jaw dropped as you watched him leap all the way to the roof in one go. You had never seen that kind of strength or skill. As soon as he reached the top, another figure appeared, dressed in fine black clothes, and they both turned to walk away. The second figure’s head was covered in a wrap, so much that you couldn’t see any detail, but you did recognize the blonde. 

“Kisuke?” You vocalized, staring at the blonde oddly. Both of the figures on the roof seemed to stumble as they were walking, and the blonde turned back to look at you. You covered your mouth, not having realized he might hear you from so far away, but they just turned and started running anyway. The shopkeeper paused seeing this reaction, looking between you and the blonde for a moment, then turning and shouting.

“You! You were helping him, weren’t you! I’m going to throttle you into the next afterlife!”

He didn’t seem to be thinking very clearly, because his logic was severely flawed yet made perfect sense to him. He was already reaching for you, as you scrambled backward. You grunted and kicked hard, sending a cloud of dirt sailing into the man’s eyes.

“OWW! You little bastard!”

You got up and turned to run, but then realized he was covering both eyes so completely in futile attempts to ward off pain that he couldn’t see you any more. Your stomach growled suddenly, reminding you that you hadn’t eaten in far too long. You dashed off suddenly, rocketing around the man. He heard your footsteps and growled, reaching out for you, but without his eyesight he missed you by more than a foot.

You ran all the way to his stall, body protesting such exertion in the heat, but you managed to grab three apples from the stand almost without pausing, then dashed off again. The man was opening his eyes, and even saw you, but he didn’t give chase this time. He was still shouting obscenities and curses, but you were far faster and far less exhausted. Smiling at your good fortune, realizing that you had turned an accident into good luck. There really was no law in the Rukongai, it was basically whatever you could get away with. Even in the Districts closest to the Seireitei there was rarely any interference from outside the community.

You took a breather when you finally put some real distance between yourself and the stall, running into a cramped side alleyway and breathing deeply, resting your agonizingly overheated body.

“There he is.”

Then again, perhaps you’d spoken too soon.

Looking up, you saw two figures dropping from the rooftop, landing directly in front of you. Immediately you realized it was the blonde from before and the “masked” companion. You squinted at the mostly-hidden face, trying to figure out who it could be, when the blonde brought your attention back.

“You said my name.”

The statement was simple, yet almost questioning. You looked back and forth between the two figures, but when you held your gaze on the masked figure once more, the blonde firmly grabbed your face and turned it. He clearly wanted a response.

“Uh… yeah, I know you. You’re… Kisuke. I… I can’t remember your last name, but everyone knows about the Shihoin family, and I got to see you once. You were with Lady Yoruichi.”

“He knows, Kisuke. I suppose we’ll have to kill him now so he doesn’t tell anyone who you are.”

Your eyes widened, and you backed up against the wall firmly as you saw the blonde reach to his back. You lashed out wildly, pushing his arm away from its position resting on your head after turning your face, and accidentally shoving the hooded figure away, into the wall on the opposite side of the alley.

“Ouch! Hey, I was just messing with you, come o-”

Your eyes finally met the masked figure’s. They were no longer shaded by the cowl, which you had accidentally pulled off when defending yourself. It was a woman, and she seemed to have realized the missing hood when she rubbed her head lightly after smacking into the wall, running her fingers through her silky purple locks instead of a rough piece of cloth. Her eyes widened as she realized that you could see her and, after what you’d just told the blonde, there was no way you couldn’t recognize her.

It was the Shihoin Princess, Yoruichi.

“Kisuke, take care of it!” She said while turning and getting ready to dash off.

“He’s already seen you, you may as well stay.” Kisuke’s word had an immediate effect on the young girl; she seemed to calm, slightly, though she still looked pretty frightened. Yet, despite all that, she had an air of calmness around her – you would guess, if pressed, to say that that was the years of discipline and nobility in her.

“What are you both doing? I don’t understand any of this…” You said, somewhat scared still by the ‘joking’ reference to them murdering you, not to mention extremely confused by her odd reaction.

Kisuke sighed. “He doesn’t even understand. Perhaps it would be better for us to leave, Lady Yoruichi.”

A thought occurred to you, as Lady Yoruichi nodded and they almost turned to leave. “Wait a second, why do two members of one of the noble families need to steal apples from a street vendor in the Rukongai?”

They froze once again, but reacted immediately this time.

“You can’t tell anyone you saw that, please. You can’t even tell them we were here.” Yoruichi said, looking incredibly serious.

“The reputation of the Shihoin family would not be helped much by the news that two of its youngest members were pretending to steal apples, especially when they are forbidden to leave the Seireitei.”

“Pretending?” You asked, confused. It didn’t seem as though they had ‘pretended’ to steal the apples – in fact, you could still see the small red fruits clutched, one in each of their left hands.

Kisuke held up a small pouch that jingled as he moved it. “He’ll notice when he returns that I left more than enough currency to cover the stolen apples. Fortunately, I left more than enough to cover for yours as well, though I can’t say I anticipated running into another person during this little adventure.”

You shook your head, completely baffled by the logic of these rich people. “Why would you bother going through the trouble of stealing on a day like this when you had the coin to pay for it? Seems like a lot of effort to go through.”

Yoruichi piped up again. “That’s the whole reason we came out here. It gets tiring being in that palace day after day, having to follow all those rules. I just wanna get out here and have some fun before they ship me off to the Shinigami Academy; please, don’t tell anyone about this!”

You shook your head quickly, seeing nothing to gain from taking the Shihoin family down a peg, and definitely not wanting to make an enemy out of a member of the noble family, not to mention the moral problems of turning in someone who (technically) did nothing wrong. You were actually more in the wrong than them, considering you took the fruit with no idea that they would have provided the funds to cover for them. “I would never do that! I have no grudge against the Shihoin family, and you didn’t actually do anything wrong… I promise on my life I won’t tell anyone about this.”

The purple-haired girl still looked quite nervous, but she nodded and smiled. “Thank you. We’re really sorry about troubling you… but, hey, why don’t you come along with us? We’ve only got a couple more hours before we have to go back, or we’ll be caught; we could use a guide to make the most of our day. I doubt we’ll get a chance to do much of anything besides sit around the palace again, at least not like this.”

You scratched the back of your head, looking around slowly. There wasn’t really much to see in this part of Soul Society… truthfully, you had always thought of Seireitei as the interesting part. With the Gotei 13 and all the Shinigami around, you had a hard time seeing how anyone could possibly become bored there. But worse, today everyone was pretty much limited to staying indoors unless they wanted to be sunburnt or dehydrated.

“Well… there really isn’t that much to see, once you’ve seen the markets, and besides that nobody is running around today. It’s way too hot.”

Yoruichi looked very disappointed. “Figures. The day we finally get to use our escape plan, and the Rukongai is suffering like this… I feel bad. Hey… why don’t you just take us to your house then? It’d be kind of nice to see a normal person’s house.”

You weren’t sure whether to be amazed that she was actually thinking of a ‘normal person’s’ house as interesting or insulted that she said it like that, but either way, you had to give an answer. And… well, you didn’t have much else to do. Having some company might be nice. On the other hand, these were two complete strangers – from the Seireitei, which weren’t famous for caring a lot about the problems of the Rukongai. Should you really trust them? What will you decide?

**Agree to take them to your house: Go to Chapter 5**

**Decline, and go home alone: Go to Chapter 6**


	3. Chapter 3

…their short white hair. Indeed, it caught your attention even more so, simply because of the unusual color, bright and completely unnatural, though not unheard of in a strange place like the Soul Society.

You fell to the ground quite harshly, landing with almost as much force on your back as the person that you ran into did. The white-haired boy was falling backward, landing on his butt, his arms falling out to catch him and scattering fruit across the ground.

You pulled yourself up off of the ground, rubbing your head a little bit as you stared at the white-haired man apologetically.

“Ah, sorry,” You said as you stumbled backward a little.

“Hey, might wanna watch where you’re going. Wouldn’t want you damaging any of my tasty persimmons.”

You looked surprised for a moment, unable to comprehend. You had expected him to be a lot angrier with you, not just giving you a warning about damaging his fruit that sounded downright… friendly. And… he was smiling. It looked happy, but something about it unnerved you.

“I didn’t mean to, I was just making my way home. I’m sorry about your fruit,” You said quietly while you reached out and picked up two persimmons that were laying near you. The white haired man just kept up that ever-present smile and turned his squinted eyes away from you as he picked up the rest of the fruit.

“Thank you, stranger. You don’t look familiar; have we met before?”

I shook my head. “Don’t think so…”

 _”I think I’d remember a guy like you,”_ You added mentally, still quite estranged by this man. He seemed quite unlike anyone else you had met. You stood, holding the two persimmons that you had grabbed out toward him. You couldn’t help but allow your eyes to flicker to them as you passed them – it was hard to give up food, even food that wasn’t yours.

“Well, thank you very much,” he said as he took them from you. But rather than add them to the small collection he was building in a fold of his robe, he threw one in and held the other out to you. “Would you like one?”

You stared disbelievingly. Offering to give up some of his food was, well, it was a gesture rarely seen between friends in the Rukongai, much less between strangers who had gotten into an accident.

“I… I don’t… I can’t…” This man was so unusual and the gesture so unexpected you could hardly speak.

“Of course you can, here!” Without giving you a chance to turn it down, he thrust one of the persimmons into your hand. You looked at it in a gratitude, your stomach already growling, but he spoke again before you could so much as thank him.

“Boy, you really look hungry. Perhaps you’ve got some real Spiritual Pressure in there?”

“I, uh… what?” You had heard others talk about how souls with Spiritual Pressure were the only ones that got really hungry, that they needed energy, but you weren’t so sure. You had seen too many children stealing and starving to believe that they were really all gifted. Otherwise they almost certainly would have become Shinigami and gotten out of the Rukongai.

“Yeah, nobody should be this hungry unless they’re burning a lot of energy. Maybe you’re good enough to become a Shinigami.”

You were so confused by this man that you didn’t know how to respond. He was so… personal. He was already making statements about you and your strength, like he’d known you for days. He was almost too friendly. He wasn’t being rude, really, just… it was like he didn’t understand the concept of being a stranger.

“Well, I suppose you don’t want to become a Shinigami then. Oh well.”

You paused, and he turned and acted as though he was about to leave.

“Wait, I- Thank you for the persimmon!” You blurted out quickly, afraid that if you didn’t get it out he’d turn around and interrupt you once again. You weren’t particularly amused with not having gotten more than a word or two into this conversation.

“Well, so you can speak a full sentence!” He said, laughing, but he didn’t stop moving. “I have more, you know, more than we can eat alone. You’re welcome to join us for a meal.”

We? Who was we? And why was this man offering to share his food with you, even more than he already had? Still… your stomach was on his side, urging you to join. Still, the idea of going to the house of a man you’d only just met seemed like a generally bad idea. What exactly were you going to do?

**Follow Him: proceed to Chapter 7**

**Go Home: proceed to Chapter 8**


	4. Chapter 4

…spiky red hair. Actually, if you hadn’t noticed it, you would’ve been quite shocked. It was so unnatural that you found yourself staring at it in a mixture of confusion and shock for a split second.

It would’ve been longer, if a very angry shopkeeper hadn’t chosen exactly that moment to round the corner, chasing after the kid that you’d just run into you assumed.

“WHY YOU ROTTEN LITTLE BRAT! COME BACK WITH THAT BREAD!” He shouted very loudly, barreling toward you, his oversized belly bouncing with each step.

“Get outta my way, do you want us both to get killed?!” The red-haired boy shouted, suddenly standing and charging away from you without so much as an “excuse me”. He started running down the street behind you, leaving you utterly befuddled.

_“Wait, why did he say both of us?”_

“YOU AND YOUR LOUSY, ROTTEN FRIENDS STAY AWAY FROM MY SHOP!” The man shouted, lifting the broom high over his head. Your eyes widened – it was about then that you realized that he intended to bash _your_ skull in too.

You rolled to the side, leaving the broom and its rather painful metal handle to smack down beside you. Instinctively, you were on your feet and sprinting in the opposite direction before he could ready the broom for a second strike, following in the trail of the red-headed boy that had gotten him in this trouble to begin with.

“Hey, quit leading him toward me!” The red-head yelled after several seconds, when he looked back and realized that both the large man and yourself were tailing after him.

“You shouldn’t have led him to me!” You shouted back, slowly gaining ground on him.

“How was I supposed to know you were right there! Now split up!” The red-headed boy slowed down for just a moment and then threw his arm out at you, causing you to stumble, nearly trip, and go down a side alleyway. A loaf of bread tumbled from his grip, causing him to fumble much like you were at that moment. To your credit, you kept running, but…

“Worthless scum!” The man shouted, pausing only for a moment before continuing to chase you. You weaved between the buildings, heading down the alleyway and doing your best to make your way back around to the direction the red-haired boy had gone.

Like hell if you were just going to let this guy make you take all the blame.

You grabbed a windowsill for leverage as you threw yourself around a corner, losing no momentum. The large man behind you followed, only just barely staying on his feet as he madly swiped the broom through the air. As you emerged back into a side street you saw the red-haired boy running toward a fence.

“HEY!” You shouted out loud, but he didn’t even acknowledge you – possibly because at that very moment, your shout was echoed.

“HEY, OVER HERE!” Suddenly one of the fence posts bent outward, the bottom moving out toward you and a small head with black hair popped out. It was a girl, and whoever she was, she was apparently helping the red-haired boy escape.

“It’s about time you showed up!” The boy shouted, running forward and ducking under the post. The girl paused, nearly shutting it behind her, before she looked your way and saw the shopkeeper tailing behind you.

“Hurry up!” She shouted. You looked around, almost shocked to see kindness shown by an ally of the red-haired man. But you picked up the pace, and slid down low, nearly putting your back on the ground as you moved under the wooden beam, the sound of it slamming shut behind you being your greeting as the three of you paused, looking around. Even though you seemed to have escaped for the moment, nobody seemed very comfortable. You were glaring at the red-haired boy, he was returning it, and the girl just looked confused.

“Renji, who is this?”

“I don’t know, he’s just some kid I ran into. Come on, let’s get out of here,” this ‘Renji’ said, nodding his head away, cradling his bounty of bread as he started to walk down the narrow alley.

The girl paused, looking at you. As you looked behind her, your eyes grew wide. Just above the fence, the shopkeeper’s head poked out. The girl spun, staring at him, but didn’t seem as surprised as you.

The man smashed his shoulder into the fence, and the aged boards cracked immediately. You took a step back, as did the girl, and Renji paused to look back at the two of you.

“Hurry up, let’s get out of here, before-”

The next blow was all it took; clearly the fence was even weaker than you had suspected. The wooden thing crumpled inward, splinters flying as the shopkeeper threw himself through it.

“You lousy, rotten, little thieves!” He shouted, lifting the broom high above, and throwing it down. He didn’t seem to think, he simply went for the closest target – the girl. If it had been the red-haired boy you might have let it slide, but the girl had at least been kind enough to offer you (temporary) safety…

What will you do?

**Tackle the shopkeeper: Go to Chapter 9**

**Move forward and take the blow: Go to Chapter 10**


	5. Chapter 5

“I guess I can take you there.” You said slowly.

“Arigatou!” Yoruichi said excitedly.

“Arigatou Gozaimasu,” Kisuke said, though his was considerably calmer, bowing slightly.

“Come on. We’re not far now.” You said, turning and walking through the cramped alleyway, back toward the main street.

~~~~

You cringed at the sight of your house as it finally came into view, remembering just how terrible it looked. It was at least decent from the outside, aside from the few boards broken aside and the poor shingles on the roof. But the inside was barren, dusty, and exposed the gaping hole in the roof on the back side… conveniently located above your bed.

“Is that it?” Yoruichi said, pointing at the house. She didn’t seem to look overly surprised or disgusted, so you figured she must have already seen a lot of bad buildings in the Rukongai. You just nodded and she smiled, walking ahead into the building without waiting for you.

“Thank you for being so kind to us, especially after… well, after we inconvenienced you is the best way to put it, I suppose,” Kisuke said, grinning happily at you. These two seemed quite an odd pair; they weren’t anything like you had expected nobles to act.

“Uh… sure, no problem. Go on in, make yourself at home. What little there is.”

Kisuke nodded and then walked toward the house. He looked back once as you started following, then walked after Yoruichi.

You were about to enter the house following them when something caught your eye. The alley beside your house was wavering slightly… you stepped out of the doorway, peering down through the minimal shade created by the buildings bordering the alley.

There was a disturbance. It was… odd. The air was shimmering, twisting and bending like the air above a fire… it was shrinking and growing at odd paces, and it vanished altogether for a time. However, just as you were readying yourself to turn away and enter the house, it re-appeared, twice the size it had been. You decided to…

**Ignore it and go inside: Go to Chapter 11**

**Investigate the disturbance: Go to Chapter 12**


	6. Chapter 6

“Uh, sorry… I don’t really feel comfortable with that.”

Yoruichi’s eyes fell a little. “Oh… are you sure about that?”

Kisuke interrupted you two, not giving her a chance to say anything. “Ah, Lady Yoruichi, perhaps it’s best that we get going anyway. We have no idea how long it will be until someone checks your room.”

She didn’t look very much cheered up, but she gave a reluctant sigh, and shrugged. “I guess so. Thanks anyway, you know, for not telling anyone.”

You nodded. “It’s fine, really. It was… interesting, getting to meet a couple of nobles all the way out here.”

She smiled, but it didn’t touch her eyes. “Maybe we’ll see each other again. Come on, Kisuke.”

Kisuke nodded and turned away. Together the two of them started to walk away together. You stood, staring at them until they vanished around a corner, with Yoruichi already re-wrapping her head to hide her identity once again. Once they were gone, you stood around for a few moments, eyeing the fruit you were holding. At least you had something to eat.

You trekked through the hot streets for several minutes as you made your way back to your house. The alleys were winding, but the distance was fairly short. Still, you had a few beads of perspiration on your forehead as you approached, leaning briefly against the wall of your house, taking a small break from the walking.

You were about to enter the house, and see if you could find something to entertain yourself with other than eating, when something caught your eye. The alley beside your house was wavering slightly… you stepped out of the doorway, peering down through the minimal shade created by the buildings bordering the alley.

There was a disturbance. It was… odd. The air was shimmering, twisting and bending like the air above a fire… it was shrinking and growing at odd paces, and it vanished altogether for a time. However, just as you were readying yourself to turn away and enter the house, it re-appeared, twice the size it had been. You decided to…

**Ignore it and go inside: Go to Chapter 13**

**Investigate the disturbance: Go to Chapter 14**


	7. Chapter 7

“Um… sure, I guess…” No matter how weird you may have found this man, the offer of food – more food than had already been given to you, that is – was enticing. And in this world you had to take it wherever you could get it.

“Great! Rangiku will enjoy the company.”

You started after him, running a little bit to catch up, as he was walking fairly quickly despite how much he was holding. As you heard that name, you realized something – you still didn’t know his.

“Hey, I don’t even know your name,” You said, slowing yourself down as you walked beside him.

“Oh, how rude of me, my name is Gin. Gin Ichimaru,” He said, without even stopping or looking at you while he spoke. You thought he might ask for your name, but he didn’t even give you a cue.

“Do you… want to know mine?” You asked, hesitantly.

“It’s not important. Why, here we are!”

“What, I-“ You stared rather blankly at the house ahead of you. Apparently he lived all of twenty yards away from where you’d run into him. That was convenient, if not a bit strange.

You looked for a moment at the thing. Like most other homes in this area, it looked very similar to everything else around it. In fact, it looked a lot like your house, except for the fact that this one didn’t have as many holes in the roof.

“Come on in, make yourself at home.”

You stopped staring, wondering if he’d seen you and thought it rude, then followed him through the doorway. The room was mostly barren; the only furniture in the one-room shanty was a pair of mattresses laid out across the room. Then you noticed the woman.

Long, orange hair, almost as unique of a color as the strange silvery hue of her friends, and as bright as the eyes that were looking between both you and Gin, with her confusion almost as great as yours had been upon meeting the man.

“Uh, who’s your friend?” She asked, giving you the once over. You eyed her back for a moment, but threw your gaze back to Gin shortly.

“Oh, he’s just staying for dinner. Come on then, there’s plenty for everyone.”

Gin sat down as if he were at the head of a table, spreading the persimmons across the floor with that same smile that he always seemed to have.

“…okay,” she said a little hesitantly. “My name is Rangiku.”

“Mine is-“

“Mmmmm, delicious, you really should try one of these,” Gin said as he chewed his way through the first bite of a persimmon, interrupting you mid-sentence by shoving a knife toward you. You gripped the hilt of the thing, giving up on introductions for the moment. You took the blade and sliced away the top portion of the fruit, removing the leaves, and taking a big bite out of it. The skin was not particularly the best part, but the taste was surprisingly delicious. On a stomach not used to more than a bite or two of food at a time, though, nearly anything could taste scrumptious.

You passed the knife to Rangiku who repeated your gesture, and a moment or two later all three of you were sitting around, devouring the persimmons like there was nothing else in the world. No matter how many you ate there always seemed to be more though – Gin had certainly brought a lot, and you had to wonder where he had gotten them all...

“So, what brings you around here? I don’t think that I’ve seen you in the markets before,” Gin said, between bites.

“I live a little ways away… I mostly don’t come over here, but today I just needed to get outside.”

“Well, you certainly picked a lovely day,” Gin said. His voice had that same steady intonation, never changing – you weren’t certain whether he was being sarcastic or not.

“Do you have any family around here?” Rangiku asked.

“Um… no, I live by myself. I’ve been alone for about as long as I can remember.”

Rangiku sighed and looked down sadly. “There seems to be a lot of that going around.”

The silence was so thick you could almost feel yourself choking on it as you continued eating, but nobody seemed willing to say anything more. Except, of course, for Gin.

After several seconds he wiped a small amount of persimmon off of the corner of his mouth and smirked at you. At least, it looked like a smirk… was it really any different?

“So, what do you want to do?”

“You mean like… right now?” Your stomach grumbled as you spoke, feeling almost overstuffed because of how much food you were consuming. You couldn’t even remember the last time that you actually got to eat this much at once.

“Well, of course not! I mean what do you want to do with your life. Surely you must have some plan.”

You paused, staring at the half-eaten persimmon in your hand. You had never been asked that before, though you’d thought about it occasionally. You wanted a better life, that was certain – barely getting to eat and living day to day wasn’t your ideal style of living.

What did you want to do?

**Become a Shinigami one day: Go to Chapter 15**

**You aren’t sure: Go to Chapter 16**


	8. Chapter 8

You stared at the man as he walked away, not moving. This man was too odd, too unsure, and far too friendly. You were hesitant to follow. He might have been disappointed, but his demeanor didn’t show it and he never turned around once he started walking.

You yourself were ready to go home as well. You still had one persimmon anyway – might as well make the best of it. And that involved eating it in peace, in what little shade your home provided, and preferably doing so as quickly as possible.

Your mind wandered much as your body did, slowly making your way back home as you reflected on the past few days. Something was different in Soul Society, that was certain. You hadn’t heard anyone else voicing the same thoughts, but you could feel it. A chill down your spine here, a strange feeling of being drawn somewhere every now and then.

There was a chill in the air, like- wait no, that wasn’t intuition or imagination, it was… chilly? Just moments ago it had been one of the most sweltering days that you could remember. Now you were almost shivering while walking.

And the closer you were getting to your house, the worse it was getting.

Something kept drawing you closer, even as your mind screamed the unnaturalness of this. You felt like something was just around the corner every time you approached an intersection; like he was being watched, something waiting for his arrival. But it wasn’t until you were nearly home…

…that you saw the Hollow that was standing on top of a pile of bodies.

Your eyes widened and your mouth gaped as you stared at the beast. It was… feeding. In fact, it was so busy consuming the citizens of Rukongai that it hadn’t even noticed you yet.

You were certain, however, that that would not last long. What did you do?

**Run for your life: Go to Chapter 17**

**Scream for help: Go to Chapter 18**


	9. Chapter 9

You reacted as quickly as you could, throwing yourself headlong at the shopkeeper. Your right shoulder connected with his rather oversized gut, not only causing him to let go of the broom as you knocked the wind right out of his lungs, but knocking him over completely a moment later. You remained standing and turned, just in time to see the girl grabbing you by the arm.

“Hurry! We need to get out of here!”

You nodded quickly and charged away alongside them, the girl pulling you along as quickly as she possibly could. The dazed shopkeeper never stood a chance of catching up to the three of you – by the time he was halfway back to fully conscious and caught his breath, the three of you had long since rounded the corner and been gone with the wind.

~~~~  
You all three panted, slowly coming to a stop. You looked around for a moment, trying to discern exactly why they were stopping here, when you realized that you were in a residential area. In fact, you were in your residential district – not two blocks to the west was your home.

“That was… close…” You panted, your hands on your knees. It had been a mid-sized distance from where you had been to here, but running at full blast all the way here had taken a lot out of you.

“Yeah, I… thanks, for what you did back there,” Rukia said quietly, nodding her head at you. You smiled, nodding your head at her.

“No problem.”

“What the hell’s with you, huh?!” Renji shouted, intruding on your conversation. “You were supposed to lead the shopkeeper away, not bring him back to me!” He accentuated this outburst with a loud, powerful smack across your spine. You bent forward, grunting with the force, then stood back up and glared at him.

“What the hell’s wrong with YOU? Who runs into someone and then uses them as a distraction!” You shouted back.

Rukia eyed Renji with a bit of humor in her eyes. “That’s not a bad point, you know. And you were too busy running away to deal with that shopkeeper.”

Renji growled, looking back at Rukia. “I wasn’t running away! I just didn’t get there first!”

Rukia laughed and rolled her eyes before looking back at you. “Tell you what, you took care of that shopkeeper and you stopped him from hitting me with that broom. Why don’t you take a loaf of bread?”

“Hey, I worked hard for this food!” Renji shouted, clutching protectively at the bread, looking like Rukia had just offered to give up one of his vital organs.

“Here, take it,” Rukia said, ignoring him completely and snatching a loaf from the top of the pile. She tossed it to you and only laughed while Renji started voicing more protests.

You laughed too, and caught the loaf as it came toward you. You looked down, felt the soft loaf, and your mouth immediately began to water.

“Come on Rukia, let’s sort out this haul. We’ve got enough to last for a week!” Renji shouted, probably anxious to get inside so that he could stop being the one getting picked on.

“It was nice meeting you,” Rukia said. “Renji, don’t eat it all before I get in there, you can’t afford to put on much more weight!”

The sound of their argument was background noise as you began walking away, smiling to yourself. It hadn’t been such an awful day after all. At least you got food out of it. The question was, what were you going to do now?

**Go straight home: go to Chapter 19**

**Walk around Rukongai for a while longer: go to Chapter 20**


	10. Chapter 10

Without a moment of hesitation, you threw yourself at the black-haired girl, nearly knocking her over as you stopped the incoming blow with your spine. The shopkeeper was surprisingly strong – the blow not only stung, but it knocked you into the girl, sending both of you crashing into the ground.

The man wasn’t stopping – you didn’t have time to move out of the way, so instead you planted your hands on the ground and pushed off, keeping your arms stiff as the blow hit. You grit your teeth in pain – the blow was so loud you were certain that the broom must have shattered. The girl was too in shock to move, looking quite surprised at what you had done to protect her. The man raised his broom for a third time.

“Get away from her!” The red-haired boy, Renji, suddenly shouted, leaping over your prone forms. With the hefty man’s arms all the way behind his head, there was no chance for him to block or to stop himself from toppling over backwards. He fell with a great crash, and the red-headed boy turned around and gripped Rukia’s arm tightly, practically pulling her out from under you as he dashed down the road.

“Come on, we’re getting out of here, Rukia!”

“Renji, I- come on!” She shouted at you, waving her arm as she struggled to gain proper footing while being dragged along by her friend. Looking back at the grunting, groaning shopkeeper - who was currently rubbing his head and beginning to sit up, you quickly dashed after them. The dazed shopkeeper never stood a chance of catching up to the three of you – by the time he was halfway back to fully conscious and caught his breath, the three of you had long since rounded the corner and been gone with the wind.  
~~~~  
You all three panted, slowly coming to a stop. You looked around for a moment, trying to discern exactly why they were stopping here, when you realized that you were in a residential area. In fact, you were in your residential district – not two blocks to the west was your home.  
“That was… close…” You panted, your hands on your knees. It had been a mid-sized distance from where you had been to here, but running at full blast all the way here had taken a lot out of you.

“Yeah, I… thanks, for what you did back there,” Rukia said quietly, nodding her head at you. You smiled, nodding your head at her.

“No problem.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I…” The girl trailed off. She probably didn’t know how to finish it. She probably wouldn’t have been dead, of course, but she probably would have had a hell of a bruise. A lot like your back was suffering from.

“Hey, what the hell was the big idea back there!” Renji suddenly ran up to you two. “You were supposed to lead him away, not bring him back to me!”

He emphasized these words with a powerful slap – right on your back, approximately the same place that was now turning a very deep blue and black color, although you couldn’t know that. But you did feel the sting as your entire spine lit up in a red-hot flash of pain. You grimaced, uttered a small groan, and then fell forward, nearly landing on your face as most of your muscles below your neck tensed up from the pain.

“Renji! Stop blaming others,” Rukia said, though she made no move to do anything. Renji had already stopped, simply crossing his arms and looking away with a grown.

“Oh, come on Rukia, we wouldn’t have even been caught if it wasn’t for this idiot!”

“That ‘idiot’ is the one who saved me while you were trying to run away, as I remember it,” Rukia said, looking away from Renji in a huff.

Renji’s eyes widened. “WHAT? I wasn’t running away! I just wasn’t as close.”

“Are you okay?” Rukia asked, clearly ignoring Renji for the moment as you tried to climb back up.

“Yeah, I- I’m… okay.” Your knee buckled under you just then, as you tried to stand and your back again protested the action. Before you could completely plant your face into the dirt, however, you felt something under your side, lifting you back up. You got your feet under you and stood, the lessened weight making it easier on your spine and allowing you to get all the way back up. You looked over and saw that the girl was holding you up, her left shoulder tucked into your right armpit and helping you to regain your footing.

“I don’t think so,” Rukia said with a chuckle. You laughed a little bit, the slightest tint of red coming to your face from the contact and the fact that you’d nearly fallen on your face in front of both of them.

“At least we got the haul,” Renji said, still ignoring your injury. “Come on, let’s head inside. This is enough food to last us for another week!”

Rukia glanced inside, then back to you. You were capable of walking on your own, so long as you didn’t fall over again, but she seemed hesitant.

“Would you like to come inside?” She asked, quietly. “We have plenty of food, and you need to let your back rest for a while.

Your eyes widened at that. You had a hard time believing anyone would so willingly give up food. The red-haired boy Renji was more akin to your typical vision of a Rukongai citizen – Rukia, if nothing else, was at least polite.

But would you accept her invitation?

**Accept, and go inside: Go to Chapter 21**

**Decline, and go home: Go to Chapter 22**


	11. Chapter 11

You chalked it up to heat – it was probably a disturbance in the air caused by the day’s weather, so you weren’t too curious. Shrugging off the strange sight, you turned back into the doorway and walked in. Yoruichi and Kisuke were already looking around, at what little there was in the home. You winced every time their eyes passed over a hole in the ceiling, rot in the wall, or cast downward to the floor – where many boards had been worn away and over a quarter of the floor was exposed to dirt.

You half expected them to look shocked and walk back out… the very idea of nobles in a place like this was something totally unimaginable. But to your surprise, not only did they not seem ready to leave, they were standing around, politely waiting for you to enter before they sat.

“Something wrong?” Yoruichi asked with an innocent smile. You shook your head.

“No, just… thought I saw something, but it was just the heat.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re in the shade then. Come, let’s eat this food,” Kisuke said happily, spreading out the fruit he had taken from the stall. You laid the fruit that you had out as well, and from seemingly nowhere Lady Yoruichi produced a knife and began to cut one of the apples into several slices, nimbly avoiding the core.

She almost passed the knife to Kisuke, but then a startled look came over to her eyes and she switched her arm, looking a bit bashful as she handed it to you. “Sorry, you’re the host, you should have gotten the first piece.”

You took the knife, a little taken aback. “It’s fine… we don’t really have so many, you know, rules out here.”

Lady Yoruichi puffed out her chest a little bit and started waving her hand in front of her face as if she were fanning herself. “But a member of the Shihoin Family must always be well-mannered, no matter the situation. She must be refined and maintain her dignity no matter where she finds herself.”

Kisuke laughed, but you didn’t. Mostly because you were a little embarrassed, having that stereotype of the nobles yourself for many years. They always seemed so regal, so out of touch with life outside of the Seireitei. These two were certainly a little out of touch, but at the same time, they were so friendly it was almost impossible to think of them as the same people that you had heard of for years.

The house creaked, loudly. It sounded a little bit like the whole building was getting ready to fall over, but you were used to the sounds, so you didn’t pay them much attention. You handed Kisuke the knife, trying to avoid drawing attention to the poor excuse for a cut you had inflicted on your apple as you took a bite into it. It was good – perhaps feeling more so because of the fact that for once the food you were eating had been paid for.

The creaking noise came again. This time, even louder. It sounded like something was actually pressing against the walls of the cottage. Even Yoruichi and Kisuke suddenly looked alert.

“Kisuke, do you… feel that?”

“Hai. Perhaps we should leave…”

You tried to say something, but they had caught you in the middle of a mouthful of apples. Were you not actually full of fruit, you would’ve probably asked what they were talking about. Unfortunately, by the time you cleared your throat-

-the entire wall of your house had imploded.

Wood splintered, cracked, shattered. The sound was like a whip snapping centimeters from your eardrum, and you felt your previous thoughts wash away as you were knocked onto your back. There was a massive pressure building, a loud screeching sound filled your ears, and the world around you spun as you lay there, trying to regain even a modicum of your sense of balance and direction.

“…oruichi, w… call the gu… …llow att…”

The sounds around you blurred in and out, as you tried desperately to reorient yourself. You could see an entire wall of your house, gone. Apparently laying on top of you. And beyond, reaching in through the gaping hole… a massive, white mask.

You stared, gaped, gasped, and froze – but before your mind even had time to process the horror of what you were seeing, there was a hand wrapped around your shoulder, pulling with strength beyond what you thought its bearer was capable of. Urahara Kisuke lifted you from underneath the debris, straining, but not overly so. He was pulling you along even as he shouted into your face, making his voice as loud as he could over the sound of a bestial roar.

“It’s a Hollow! Just run, run!”

Knowing the danger something like that could pose, your first thought was to simply do as he asked. You turned and sprinted, trying to put as much distance between the Hollow and yourself as possible, aiming for the door – which, amazingly, was still very well put together despite the fact that you were minus one wall of your home.

You had just cleared the door when you the next cracking sound came – this time, your entire house fell down. Whatever the Hollow had hit, probably the opposite wall, it had seriously injured the integrity of the building.

Then you heard the shouts.

“I’m pinned! Help!”

Your eyes widened as you focused on Yoruichi. She was pinned underneath an entire wall that had stayed together, simply toppling over. You stared, as she tried to push herself off of the ground. She was strong, but not strong enough to lift an entire house’s weight alone, especially with a Hollow pressing down on the far side… and getting closer by the minute.

Yoruichi looked at you, apparently surprised to see you stop. Kisuke had only just noticed, and he was a bit further away than you were. “Just go!” She shouted, directing her words at you as the Hollow stomped ever closer.

You had seconds to react – no time for thinking, just for action. What did you do?

**Attempt to save her: Go to Chapter 23**

**Keep Running: Go to Chapter 24**


	12. Chapter 12

You couldn’t help but feel compelled to approach the strange disturbance of the air. It was unusual, but more than that… it was alluring. You slowly left the doorway and the corner of your house and began approaching the warping air.

It seemed to react to your approach – whether or not that was in your imagination or not you had no idea. You wanted to reach out and touch it, as if to confirm that it was there. Rather than moving around like you thought it would, it seemed to hover in the air, a static fixture rather than a mobile illusion. You closed within several feet when something made you stop.

The flickering air suddenly turned shadow black.

You stood, frozen, staring, unable to understand what had happened. It was like you were staring into a viewport into the pitch black of night. You stayed where you were, no longer approaching it. In fact, you were oddly repulsed now; there was a chill coming through the air and you felt almost as if you were being magnetically pushed away from the air.

But you continued. Somewhere in your head you thought you heard voices, those of your companions calling out and wondering what you were doing. But you ignored them. For before your very eyes, the black mass that had appeared in the air was replaced, with a solid white. And the disturbance grew, and with it the white shape, until you finally realized exactly what it was that you were looking at.

It was a Hollow mask.

The shout of fear caught in your throat as you saw what happened next, almost in slow motion. The mask backed away, and some of the blackness returned. And then it was there, with you, not on the distant side of some air disturbance. A long arm reached for you, giving you only moments to react on pure instinct rather than thought.

What was your immediate reaction?

**Leap out of the way of the grasping hand: Go to Chapter 25**

**Stay frozen in fear: Go to Chapter 26**


	13. Chapter 13

You chalked it up to heat – it was probably a disturbance in the air caused by the day’s weather, so you weren’t too curious. Shrugging off the strange sight, you turned back into the doorway and walked in. Home sweet… well, it was home, anyway.

You brushed off the apple you had and immediately decided to dig in. You didn’t have any silverware or anything resembling a table, so you just plopped against the wall beside the door and began eating, biting straight through the skin.

Those nobles were… interesting people. You certainly wished that you could have spent more time with them, but you certainly weren’t going to bring them back here. Just the fact that it was as downtrodden as it was made you nervous about letting others of your own social class in, and to be quite honest, you were a little suspicious of their strange behavior. 

You continued biting into the fruit, the sweet taste amazing to your deprived taste buds. You quietly contemplated your decision, listening to the quietness of the area around you. The only sound was your house lightly creaking, boards swaying inward slightly.

Strange… it wasn’t a windy day outside. You edged to your feet, approaching the boards in confusion. They released, moving back to their regular position…

And then caved in with such force that the boards shattered completely.

You were thrown back by a shockwave of force as your eyes were forced shut, splinters and even large chunks of wood nearly cracking you in the skull. You held your arms protectively over your face until, after a moment, the shards stopped flying.

You lowered your arms, looking around. Half your wall was gone, and there was a massive hole. Nothing remained to even hint at what could have possibly been the cause of the destruction. Except that there was a faint chill starting to run through the air.

You almost felt your teeth chattering as the cold air swept into the room. This was unnatural – the air outside was so heated you felt like you could’ve caught fire at any moment. You pressed yourself back against the wall, feet having carried you almost unconsciously away from the hole where the air was seeping through.

A black shadow came over the hole. No – not a shadow! Something real, something tangible – something coming straight at you!

Your mind was filled with only one thought, as you stood there –

**”MOVE!”: Go to Chapter 27**

**“Fight!”: Go to Chapter 28**


	14. Chapter 14

You couldn’t help but feel compelled to approach the strange disturbance of the air. It was unusual, but more than that… it was alluring. Or maybe you were just bore and looking for something to entertain you now that you’d left those two nobles behind. You slowly left the doorway and the corner of your house and began approaching the warping air.

It seemed to react to your approach – whether or not that was in your imagination or not you had no idea. You wanted to reach out and touch it, as if to confirm that it was there. Rather than moving around like you thought it would, it seemed to hover in the air, a static fixture rather than a mobile illusion. You closed within several feet when something made you stop.

The flickering air suddenly turned shadow black.

You stood, frozen, staring, unable to understand what had happened. It was like you were staring into a viewport into the pitch black of night. You stayed where you were, no longer approaching it. In fact, you were oddly repulsed now; there was a chill coming through the air and you felt almost as if you were being magnetically pushed away from the air.

But you continued. Somewhere in your head you thought you heard voices, those of your companions calling out and wondering what you were doing. But you ignored them. For before your very eyes, the black mass that had appeared in the air was replaced, with a solid white. And the disturbance grew, and with it the white shape, until you finally realized exactly what it was that you were looking at.

It was a Hollow mask.

The shout of fear caught in your throat as you saw what happened next, almost in slow motion. The mask backed away, and some of the blackness returned. And then it was there, with you, not on the distant side of some air disturbance. A long arm reached for you, giving you only moments to react on pure instinct rather than thought.

What was your immediate reaction?

**Leap out of the way of the grasping hand: Go to Chapter 29**

**Stay frozen in fear: Go to Chapter 30**


	15. Chapter 15

You looked down at your hands for a moment, literally twiddling your thumbs as you tried to think of the best way to say what you were thinking. You vaguely knew the answer to his question, but… putting it in words? Summarizing everything about yourself in one sentence? That took a bit of concentration.

“I want to… become a Shinigami one day… I want to…”

The silver-haired man and the woman both continued looking at you. Neither of them seemed willing to interrupt you, but… was that a glimmer in the eye of the silver-haired man?

“I want to protect Soul Society. I’ve been around too many good people that suffered, too many weak that couldn’t raise a blade for themselves or their friends. I want to become a Shinigami, a living embodiment of Soul Society’s will. But, more than that, I want to be able to raise the sword in my own name, to use it when others are afraid.”

“Well, isn’t that cliché.”

Your face became inscrutable as you looked over at the silver-haired boy, who was chuckling.

“Not that there’s really any reason to become a Shinigami that isn’t cliché. Everyone either wants to be a hero or wants to get out of here, don’t they?”

“Yeah… I guess,” You said, sighing. You had actually tried a little bit with your answer, you were hoping for at least some illusion of consideration for your answer.

“Here, think fast.”

You looked up and it was only reflexes and luck that saved your skull quite the bruise; you snatched the large wooden sword that was headed for your noggin out of the sky, gripping what ended up being the bladed end.

“Come on then, Shinigami, let’s have a little fun.”

Your eyes widened as Gin brandished his own wooden blade. Just how strange was this man? More importantly, at least at the moment, how strong was he?

Gin took two quick, low steps forward, already drawing back the blade and stabbing it toward your abdomen.

You had only an instant to decide on a course of action; what did you choose?

**Go on the defensive: Go to Chapter 31**

**Counter attack: Go to Chapter 32**


	16. Chapter 16

You looked down at your hands for a moment, literally twiddling your thumbs as you tried to think of the best way to say what you were thinking. You vaguely knew the answer to his question, but… putting it in words? Summarizing everything about yourself in one sentence? That took a bit of concentration.

“I guess… I don’t really know, to be honest,” You said, unable to find a good way to say how you felt. “I’ve mostly been trying to survive.”

Rangiku nodded. “Life out here hasn’t been easy on any of us.”

“But every now and then life throws you a handful of persimmons,” Gin said simply as he bit into another of the small red treats.

“Do you have any friends, any relatives?”

You sighed. “Not exactly… I’ve had a few friends in the past, but they all disappeared over time. Some lost touch… others just lost.”

Rangiku stared down sadly. “I understand… Gin and I are the only ones left that either of us know.”

“At least you have each other,” you said with a smile, though it was a weak one. Rangiku returned your smile and for a moment both of you were lost in thought; even Gin stopped munching on the food for a few moments, looking back and forth between the two of you.

“If you don’t know what you want to do, why don’t you go to the Shinigami Academy?”

You looked at the silver-haired boy with a bit of surprise. Of course, you knew about the Shinigami Academy (as did everyone who had been in Soul Society longer than a week), but you hadn’t expected it from him. Perhaps it was his strange nature… but you had difficulty picturing him as one of the famous defenders of Seireitei.

“Well, yes… but I don’t even know if I can make it in. Are you going to join the Academy?”

Gin’s eyes flittered. Perhaps they had widened just enough to show movement when his eyes shifted, or perhaps he was actually affected by my question. But his reaction didn’t last for very long.

“Yes… I’m going to become a Shinigami. Perhaps you have what it takes to become a Shinigami… it’s certainly better than staying around here, isn’t it?”

You shivered. Something had come over him at the mention of becoming a Shinigami… it wasn’t a comfortable aura that surrounded him now. Something had grown cold.

“If you don’t think you have what it takes, come back tomorrow. We could always use someone to train with.”

You considered his offer… did you want to train with him? It would certainly help your chances of getting into the Academy.

**Agree to come back: Go to Chapter 33**

**Decline the offer: Go to Chapter 34**


	17. Chapter 17

Your mind was panicked, but primal instincts rarely if ever failed. Your brain screamed at your legs to run, and suddenly you were flying along the alleyways in the same direction that you had originally come from. Your feet pounded the dirt heavily, breath suddenly coming in gasps as your adrenaline-fueled body started to take in oxygen as quickly as it could.

You threw your entire body around the corner of a building, intending to put as many obstacles between yourself and the Hollow as possible. The streets of Rukongai were small, but you still didn’t want to be easily spotted.

You had been running for almost a full minute when the sound of loud thumps behind you reached your ears. In the brief seconds that followed you felt a cold chill from your heart, like your entire circulatory system was pumping ice water. Then it was there.

It burst directly through a building in front of you, scattering two unlucky participants across the dirt. The Hollow firmly planted a foot on one, crushing the poor man; his wife screamed and started running off between the buildings… for just a brief moment the dark hope that the Hollow might be distracted crossed your mind, but that idea was shot down as fast as it appeared.

The Hollow stomped directly toward you, and you turned to run the other direction. Just as your first full stride hit the ground-

You were lifted into the air, a crushing pressure knocking most of the air out of your lungs, taking the little fight you could provide out of you quickly. You struggled lightly in the grip, gasping for breath, while the Hollow pulled you to its great white mask and glared into your face.

“Let me go you son of a-”

“Hmm hmm hmm…” The Hollow half chuckled and half hummed, shaking you a little to quiet your shouts. “Seems the meal thinks himself threatening… how quaint. You’ve got more spiritual power than all those pathetic souls back there together, though, so I’m glad you finally showed up.”

The Hollow lifted up its free arm and stuck forward one long, pointed finger; though its figure was almost entirely black, you couldn’t help but stare at the long, pointed end as it closed in. You renewed your struggles, but…

“AHHHHHHHHH!” You screamed loudly in agony as the tip of the claw dug into your chest, ever so slightly – just enough to pierce the skin and apply slow, heavy pressure to your sternum, compressing your rib cage. The pressure was unbearable, knocking out what little air you still had in your lungs, and you felt a chill creeping through your body, like the very essence of the Hollow was seeping into you.

“Now, for my favorite par-“

The Hollow suddenly froze, with its eyes widened and its mouth open, shivering. Before your eyes… the entire body of the Hollow started to fade away.

“Wo- WOAH!” You shouted, falling down as the Hollow simply faded, your body slipping free of the vanishing arm.

“Easy there.” The voice that was suddenly beside you was accompanied by a firm pressure on your back, and suddenly your downward momentum was diverted down into horizontal speed.

You came to a grinding halt while still being held up… by the arm of what appeared to be a man wearing a pink flower sash with a large straw hat on top. You might have been a little off – your head was spinning from the sudden momentum and direction change.

“You okay? I’m glad I got to you before that Hollow had you for dinner, too…” The voice was sad, but caring and firm. Your feet touched the ground as the owner of the voice set you upright, and you looked into the face of a Shinigami.

“I… my chest…” You felt weak suddenly. Your chest was in pain, but it wasn’t regular pain. You felt that same icy touch in your chest, like where the Hollow had touched was sending waves of pain through your entire torso.

“Don’t worry about it, the wound is shallow… I’ll patch it up for you,” the Captain said simply, smiling gently. From his robes he produced a cloth, and a roll of bandages. You winced quietly as the pain numbed but still continued to lightly throb.

“No, it’s…”

**Tell him about the strange pain: Go to Chapter 35**

**Ignore it, and let him bandage the wound: Go to Chapter 36**


	18. Chapter 18

Your brain was screaming at you while you stood there, and that turned very quickly into a vocal scream instead of merely a mental one.

“HOLLOW!” You shouted, backing away slowly while staring at the beast. “THERE’S A HOLLOW!”

The beast’s head turned, staring directly into your eyes, and its strange mouth twisted in a cruel smile. That sent the most primal of fears directly into your head – you turned and started running as quickly as you could, attempting to put distance between yourself and the beast.

Sadly, you had failed to realize just how quickly a Hollow was capable of running.

It had launched itself over your head and landed in front of you. Its hand reached out, and you slammed into the palm of its open hand before you could stop yourself. Claws wrapped around you, and you could feel your feet as they left the ground-

Suddenly, they hit the ground again, and black blood was spraying into the air around you. You rolled as your feet touched and the hand unclenched slowly, freeing yourself and scrambling away from the body of the now screaming Hollow.

A woman landed in front of you, black robes fluttering in the wind, a glittering sword in her hand. Her face was a mask of determination and composed anger. She took a protective stance in front of you, raising her blade at the Hollow with the missing limb.

“Stay behind me,” The woman said quietly.

The Hollow let out an inarticulate roar of rage, pressing its hand forward rapidly, pointing the claws toward the Shinigami in front of you. The woman pushed out one hand, flattening her palm and absorbing the force of the blow… the entire force of the blow. The attack stopped dead, an attack which you knew had the power to crush entire buildings. You would have been obliterated.

“Hado number thirty-one: Shakkaho!” The Shinigami cried out, thrusting her second hand forward, edging it around the large arm of the Hollow as a massive red sphere appeared. It rocketed into the Hollow’s chest and exploded; the brilliant light blinded you for a moment, and by the time you raised an arm to cover your face and the attack’s explosion dissipated, the Hollow was already gone, disintegrated with the attack.

The Shinigami in front of you wiped at her face lightly, the beginnings of perspiration appearing on her cheek. She turned to face you then, and you got your first glimpse of her face.

Her black locks framed her face well, pinned back and with bangs hanging off the right side of her face. She also had oval-shaped glasses on, and a certain hardness to her stare. Despite that she looked at you with concern, worry evident, especially as her vision shifted to the scenery around you and then back down to your eyes.

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly.

“I… I…”

**”I think so.”: Go to Chapter 37**

**“Thank you so much!”: Go to Chapter 38**


	19. Chapter 19

You decided to head straight home… an entire loaf of bread was quite the catch, and to be quite frank you were eager to dig into it. You very quickly turned and started back toward your house.

Those two were an… interesting pair. They were definitely better friends than their constant fighting made them seem, that much you were certain of. More importantly though, they were serious contenders working together; they probably would’ve done even better dealing with that angry man if the red-headed boy hadn’t bumped into you and been such a stubborn ass.

Luckily, you realized as you looked around during your walk that this place actually wasn’t far from your own home. About a three minute walk… maybe you would pay them another visit some time. Worst case scenario you could always swing back and steal some of THEIR food, if you were ever starving. Turnabout being fair play, and all that.

You reached your home and entered unceremoniously. You threw yourself at the small ‘cot’ you had made, makeshift at best and barely better than the dirt itself at worst. Laying on it you began to tear off small pieces of the loaf you had acquired and thought quietly to yourself as you ate.

You hadn’t had that much excitement in quite a while… admittedly, you were forced to steal quite often, but still, the thrill of the chase hadn’t happened in quite a while. You were growing a little bored with your life in the Rukongai, but you weren’t making any real progress to getting yourself out by just sitting around here. And the longer that the average person stayed in Rukongai, the more likely they were to succumb to one of the many dangers. Not the least of which was hunger, though it seemed like you would be staving that off for another day.

There were only a handful of ways to get out of Rukongai… most involved death. The only other ways were to have a particularly unique and useful talent that one of the noble houses desired, or to become a Shinigami.

You had no talents… and as much as the fear of death repelled some wayward souls, you knew that you were just as likely to die out here in Rukongai – if not moreso – than if you became a Shinigami. That would have to be your path, for it was your only chance.

The stories of Shinigami exploits stretched on for centuries, all the way back to the founding of the Shino Academy. Fame, fortune, women; pretty much anything you wanted could be gotten, especially with the aid of the other perks. But which part excited you most?

**A good life… at least, better than the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 39**

**Fame, fortune… power. Respect. Everything that everyone wants out of life: Go to Chapter 40**

**Women. Maybe just woman, if you can find the right one: Go to Chapter 41**


	20. Chapter 20

You decided to walk around the Rukongai for a little while longer… after all, your last little expedition had earned you a whole loaf of bread. What else might be coming your way?

As you wandered through the neighborhood you realized that you were actually in an area of the Rukongai that you could recognize – you were only a few blocks away from your own home. That was a pleasant surprise, and it meant you would have more time to walk around without having to worry about finding your location and trekking halfway across the district just to settle down for the night.

The streets were almost universally empty. You only passed one or two other people in several minutes of walking; with the heat, it was to be expected. You were amazed you had even run into one angry shopkeeper considering how many other stalls were closed and emptied. He must have been absolutely desperate to sell his bread before it went stale… and for his reward, of course, now you were eating some of his delicious work.

Absentmindedly you picked away at the bread, piece by piece, filling your growling stomach as best you could. You were almost dying of thirst and the dry wheat wasn’t helping, but you could hardly resist after so long on so little.

A noise caught your attention, causing you to turn to the right. Though you were close to home, you stared around, looking for the source. Nothing immediately came up… the source of all the commotion must have been somewhere down another one of these alleys.

The question is, is it worth it to investigate?

**Investigate the noise: Go to Chapter 42**

**Continue home: Go to Chapter 43**


	21. Chapter 21

“Sure, why not? I really appreciate it.” You bowed before them, truthfully amazed by such kindness in the Rukongai. 

Rukia smiled. “Great, it’ll be nice to have a new face around.”

“Yeah, and a new mouth to feed…” Renji muttered, but with his arms full he really couldn’t do all that much to stop Rukia from inviting you or you from following them in. Reluctantly the red-headed Shinigami began to follow after the both of you.

Their shack wasn’t much different than yours, with a couple of exceptions. Most notably was the facdt that there were no holes in the roof… or in the walls. Or pretty much anywhere else. Granted, that fact was mostly because all the places that had developed holes over time had patchwork wood thrown over them, but still. You hadn’t even gotten the tools to do such work, much less the materials to cover up the growing number of holes.

Also, there was a corner with a blanket thrown over it which you could only assume was a stash of food or something equally valuable. It didn’t do much to hide it, but at least it was something.

“Done gawking?” Renji growled, walking past you toward the corner.

“Why Renji, I didn’t know you had a vocabulary!” Rukia said, spreading her hand across her face and doing her best to look innocent.

Renji just glared at her. You had to fight back a chuckle – maybe it was because of how relaxed around each other they were (and Rukia around you, though Renji less so) but you felt like they were more than just acquaintances. Maybe not quite friends… but Rukia, at least, seemed quite open with you. Maybe it was because you saved her from the brutal end of a broom, but who knew?

“Thank you very much for this…” You said, debating whether or not to bow again. Normally you might have repeated your thanks a little less, but when it came to food, one could never be polite enough.

“Oh please, it’s the least we could do. Especially after you dove in headfirst like that – despite what some of us think, giving thanks to those who help us isn’t going to be the end of us.”

“Tch, tell that to the others,” Renji said, shaking a loaf of bread at her. He’d somehow managed to get the covering off of the corner of the room, which was filled with what looked like empty boxes. There he deposited most of his load, but picked out two loaves. Then, begrudgingly, he lifted a third, and turned back to the group.

Despite the arrival of food Rukia seemed a little more depressed suddenly. Her smile faded a few degrees, even as she reached out and took the bread. You were so caught up in noticing her expression that when Renji (quite literally) tossed the third loaf your way, you almost didn’t catch it before it hit the ground.

Both of them seemed a little off put – even though Renji was the one who had mentioned the “others”, he too grew a bit somber, actually putting off his glare to eat the loaf of bread silently and gloomily.

You were somewhat curious about this… but did you breach the subject? Or just change the subject?

**”Who were… the others?”: Go to Chapter 44**

**“How long have you two been living together?”: Go to Chapter 45**


	22. Chapter 22

You thought about it for a moment… but, although you were happy to have helped them, you weren’t entirely comfortable with staying there. If nothing else, having the red-headed boy glaring at you the entire time wouldn’t help your level of comfort.

“Sorry, I really need to head home… thanks, though,” You said, looking directly into the black-haired girl’s eyes. “I really appreciate the offer. Maybe another time.”

“Maybe.” She repeated, a faint smile touching her lips. She still seemed disappointed.

“Come on Rukia, let’s get inside and sort all of this out!” Renji shouted, making his way quickly for the door.

“Hold on, Renji!” Rukia shouted. The boy didn’t stop, but he slowed enough for her to catch up and grab two of the loaves. She turned and tossed them to you, giving you a little two-fingered salute.

Your eyes widened and you reached forward, barely grabbing them before they were dirtied on the ground. Rukia chuckled and turned to go into the house with Renji, throwing a hand over her shoulder in a wave.

“Nice catch! You do a pretty good job as a decoy, we should work together sometime!”

Rubbing your spine, you turned and walked away, shaking your head at the strange pair. If you knew for sure that all your encounters wouldn’t end up like this one, you might take her up on that offer. You couldn’t even remember the last time you’d had this much food – you hadn’t had a lot of luck in that area lately. On the other hand, you weren’t sure how much of this kind of abuse you could take.

Achy and tired, you started the long hobble home.

* * * *

You saw a surprising amount of traffic on the way back. Actually, it was almost impressive to see so many out in a way, considering how ludicrously hot it was. You couldn’t imagine what had been going on, but it looked like you’d just missed it. As quickly as the tides of strangers appeared, they were dispersed. It seemed like they were every bit as eager as you to get inside.

It wasn’t long after that when you finally arrived home. You collapsed almost immediately inside the doorway, barely putting yourself against a wall to ease your fall and keep yourself propped up. The feeling of your spine banging against the wall did little to ease the pain it already had, but it was bearable now that you were sitting down.

You tossed the loaves to the side on one of the few floorboards not halfway pried loose or otherwise covered in dirt. You would eat later; as much as your stomach had been growling less than an hour ago, right now your mind was on other things.

You were glad to have met the two. Despite the pain, it was nice having someone who you felt more at ease around; perhaps their quirky nature made them that way, but there were far too many people in Rukongai who you had to be careful around. Always had to watch your back to make sure there wasn’t a knife about to be planted in it. Something about them… they were different, that was certain.

A noise caught your attention suddenly. It was coming through the doorway, and sounded almost like someone’s foot sliding across the ground. You pressed your arms against the wall and forced yourself up, wondering if you should look out the door or not.

You didn’t have the chance to make the decision, however. The source of the noise slowly skittered in – it wasn’t a foot, but rather a piece of paper, blown by the mildest of breezes, into your worn-out home. You stared at it for a moment, then realized if you didn’t grab it now you’d either have to walk across the room to get it when it reached the other wall, or deal with the sound of paper rustling around for the rest of the day. Neither of those options was appealing in your current state.

You let yourself slide back down the wall and slapped a foot on top of the paper. Though it crumpled it, it let you slide it over so you could pick it up and look at the offending object before you threw it back out the door.

Your eyes stopped when you saw the front of the paper though – the picture on it was something most people, especially children, could recognize. The Shino Academy, the training grounds for some of Soul Society’s greatest heroes. And one of the only ways out of the Rukongai for you, or any other poor child.

And they were holding entrance exams in two days. _Open_ entrance exams.

A tingling spread through your body as you stared at the picture, the image of the Academy crumpling as your grip uncontrollably contracted. Your emotions soared, and you felt the adrenaline pumping. But what emotion was it gripping you?

**Excitement: Go to Chapter 46**

**Nervousness: Go to Chapter 47**


	23. Chapter 23

You hesitated, thinking on all the possibilities, wondering for a moment of you odds at surviving actually coming that close to a Hollow.

Then, that moment ended. And you threw yourself headfirst at the downed girl, gripping the debris on top of her tightly. You threw your entire weight behind your efforts as you lifted up, doing anything to get those boards off of her.

“W-what are you doing? Go, get out of here!” Lady Yoruichi shouted as she looked behind her. The Hollow was approaching at a slow-ish pace, its footsteps passing through the fallen boards and forcing it to free its legs with every step, since most of the house was still together even though it had fallen over.

“Please, keep quiet and… lift!” You grunted, your teeth grinding together as you struggled to lift the boards. You could’ve put it much more rudely but somehow the fact that she was a member of the Shihoin clan didn’t escape you even in this time of crisis.

“I-“ She seemed to want to say something else, but the rubble pile budged. The Hollow, despite being frighteningly close, was actually assisting you. The more boards it destroyed the more you were able to lift the pile, and after just a few moments you inched it far enough off of Lady Yoruichi to pry one of her legs free. Kisuke appeared at your side suddenly, his own hands gripping two of the larger boards and throwing it upwards with all his might. Together the two of you were able to lift it high enough that Yoruichi pried her other leg free.

Then, like a flash, you were flying through the air.

It took you a moment to realize that Lady Yoruichi had actually picked you up and carried you – and where you had been a few moments before, a giant black foot was planted quite firmly. Kisuke was already caught up with her, sprinting at full pace alongside of her.

“L-lady Yoruichi, I-“ You were trying to object to being carried but, instead of arguing, she set you on your feet, pausing momentarily, letting you get your balance before she started sprinting again, this time holding onto your hand.

“No time for talk, run!” She shouted. You were barely able to keep up, but with her providing most of the forward momentum and dragging you along all you really had to do was focus and keep your feet hitting the ground. As long as you didn’t trip, you were okay.

You actually did a semi-decent job.

The chase continued for what felt like forever, but it must have only been a couple of minutes. Because even you were surprised when you heard the sounds of combat behind you.

“They’re here.” Kisuke said quietly.

“I know. We need to keep moving,” Lady Yoruichi replied. You looked back, and realized what they were talking about instantly. Because the Hollow that had been chasing you was now engaged in vicious combat with a Shinigami. It was too far away for you to see any details, but you knew that a Hollow in Soul Society was not taken lightly. If the problem wasn’t resolved momentarily, then the entire force of the Gotei 13 would bear down upon it.

“Why are we still running!” You tried to shout out, but you were focusing so much on keeping your legs under you it barely came out.

“We can’t let them see us… the noble Shihoin family does not take kindly to disobedience,” Lady Yoruichi said quietly, almost ominously.

For the next few moments you stayed quiet, focusing on your feet and also on what she had said. Indeed the idea of her being punished was bad enough… especially after dealing with a Hollow attack. Not that your day was much better, seeing as you now had to relocate and find a new home.

“This… should be far enough…” Lady Yoruichi said, breathing somewhat heavily for a woman as agile as she seemed. You were so exhausted you couldn’t even speak for several moments.

“What should we do, Lady Yoruichi?” Kisuke asked in a very cautious tone of voice.

“I guess that depends on him,” Lady Yoruichi said, looking over at you.

You raised your hands defensively as you tried to regain your breath. “I swear… I won’t tell… anyone about you.”

Lady Yoruichi’s face twisted in what looked like… guilt? “No, we- thank you, but… we were actually talking about what we were going to do about you. That Hollow… destroyed your home.”

You grimaced. At least they were considerate enough to think of you; you yourself had only considered the whole home situation just then. “Well… I’ll just have to find something. There are quite a few abandoned homes in the Rukongai, and some of them are in pretty good condition.”

“Nonsense!”

Lady Yoruichi’s sharp responsed caused you to snap out of your gloom and look her in the eyes… where you saw a fire you hadn’t actually noticed before.

“E-excuse me?” You asked hesitantly.

Yoruichi’s determination remained, but compassion entered her eyes as well. “You… saved me. You risked your life even after I told you to leave. As a member of the Shihoin family, it would be dishonorable of me to let you simply return to the streets.”

“Lady Yoruichi, are you suggesting what I think you are?” Kisuke asked, surprise lighting his face.

Yoruichi nodded, and stared into your eyes. “Come with us. To the Shihoin manor. It might not be easy, and you’d have to work for the Shihoin family… but it’s a better life. And you would have a real home.”

Your eyes widened at the mere thought of that. Could you really do that? You’d be doing who knew what for the noble house, but… could any job there really be worse than a life out here?

**Accept her offer: Go to Chapter 48**

**Decline, and find a new home: Go to Chapter 49**


	24. Chapter 24

You panicked; you wanted to help her, but in your hesitation, Kisuke was already ahead of you. And from the way he was lifting, you felt certain he would have the strength to free her.

It was Yoruichi who solved your moral dilemma. Waving one of her free arms at you, with the Hollow looming nearer, she shouted out at you loudly; “Go! Just run!”

You turned, and though you felt somewhat guilty, you sprinted away from the scene, trying hard not to turn around and look. You heard boards cracking behind you, and the ever-present roar of the Hollow. But that was good, right? If it was roaring it at least meant its mouth was empty…

You didn’t bother trying to twist and turn through the streets. You wanted Yoruichi and Kisuke to find you, if only so that you knew they were okay. Besides, the Hollow probably wouldn’t chase after you unless Yoruichi and Kisuke were with you anyway. And for several moments, you wondered if you might ever see them again.

Then he was there, Kisuke – with Yoruichi in his arms. She was grimacing and didn’t look happy, but she was alive. You were so relieved you almost didn’t notice the stream of red coming down her leg.

“You’re hurt!” You shouted out while trying to keep up.

“It’s just a scratch…”

“Her leg was caught on a board, she tore it open on a nail. She’ll be okay,” Kisuke said. He still looked quite concerned… was the wound that bad? Or was he just that close with her?

The sound of the Hollow screaming behind you caused both of you to turn your heads. It was already chasing you, and with such large, long legs it would only be a matter of time before it caught up, surely. You put on a burst of speed, abandoning all conservation of stamina and going for pure speed.

Kisuke seemed able to keep up with you easily, despite the fact that he also had to carry Yoruichi in his arms the entire time. If anything, he was keeping himself to your pace so that you didn’t get left behind. But it wasn’t enough. The Hollow was catching up, and although you were too frightened to turn and look – especially since that could only slow you down at this point – you felt as though it was breathing down your neck.

Then there was, what felt like anyway, a huge explosion – right above your head.

Kisuke and you both turned simultaneously, but you still didn’t stop running. Just as the Hollow was closing in you saw, to your astonishment, a Shinigami. It had practically tackled the thing – its foot was embedded in its mask just above its mouth and his black cloak fluttered as he pressed the Hollow back, easily overpowering its running motion even with all the momentum.

“Keep running,” Kisuke said quietly. You were confused, but nodded. Even with the Shinigami there, you weren’t comfortable being anywhere near that thing.

“Over here!”

You didn’t get a moment to look at where the voice had come from, but instead both you and Kisuke were grabbed and yanked, rather violently, behind a house that you were passing. Kisuke was so shocked he didn’t put up a fight; you doubted that you could have.

“Stay here, kids, I’ll protect you.” The man seemed like he was trying to be brave and reassuring for the children, but really, him being there was only stressing out Kisuke and Yoruichi more. She was frantically trying to hide her face, and he was looking the other way, both hoping desperately the Shinigami wouldn’t somehow recognize them.

They were both members of the noble family Shihoin; even if he didn’t recognize them on sight, it would only be a matter of time before he (or reinforcements) recognized her.

But did you dare act?

**Provide a distraction, help them get away: Go to Chapter 50**

**Stay with them, keep your head low: Go to Chapter 51**


	25. Chapter 25

Primal instinct was all that saved you; the hand was faster, but your reflexes sent you flying backwards as the hand gripped down firmly on the spot where you had been only moments before. The hand smashed into the side of your house, knocking several boards free and creating a rather sizeable hole.

The sounds of the Hollow screaming in frustration were quite loud, and you had to crawl backwards as the hand reached out, slowly inching from the portal. The claws scraped at the ground in front of you as you did everything in your power to avoid them.

The portal reached open all the way, and suddenly the Hollow was thrusting its entire body through. The hand was now above you, falling down, coming to crush you-

Then there were arms, wrapped around your own and pulling you back rapidly, just as the hand slammed down. The Hollow roared once again, and Lady Yoruichi – who had pulled you free – started shouting in your face while pulling you away. “Hurry! We have to get out of here!”

You didn’t really think you needed to be told, but you weren’t going to take the time to say that. Instead you started sprinting after her; she was running so quickly you thought for sure that you were going to get left behind, but she stayed within a few feet, at least.

You rounded the front of your house again and saw a split in the path. Yoruichi was down the right, waving to you, shouting for you to hurry up. Kisuke was down the left, doing much of the same, looking behind you. He didn’t look very calm.

Which way did you run?

**Run left: Go to Chapter 52**

**Run right: Go to Chapter 53**


	26. Chapter 26

You couldn’t help it. You had never so much as seen a Hollow before; hell, you barely even knew what one was supposed to look like until today. That was why you froze, why you couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the arm grabbing for you.

But when you felt those long black talons wrapping around you, you certainly started screaming.

Not that you had much time. As soon as you were gripped, you were being dragged toward the portal. You were turned as the arm started to twist to properly fit, and for just one fleeting moment you got a glimpse back up the alley toward the door to your house.

Where Yoruichi and Kisuke stood, looking terrified but unable to do anything to save you.

You were pulled through the portal, which quickly closed. Your last hope of escape disappeared. You had stopped screaming although the fear had only grown worse. Now you were simply silently terrified, as the Hollow turned you. Your eyes widened as you looked into its grinning maw.

It didn’t waste time on words, if it could even talk. It merely opened its mouth…

And then you were swallowed by blackness.

**Go to Chapter 54**


	27. Chapter 27

“MOVE!”

With that, you were off. The Hollow’s arm reached into the hole and grasped nothing but air as you vanished out the door and into the streets, intending to put as much distance between yourself and the Hollow as physically possible.

You crashed through the door as a massive arm swung through the hole and tore what remained of your house into shreds. You couldn’t help but let out a shout of terror as you literally felt the wind off of an arm stroke disturb the back of your outfit, but you didn’t dare turn around to see how close the Hollow was.

You leaped over a stall to take a shortcut down an alley, hearing the fruit and wood smash into multiple pieces only a few moments later as a massive, black foot crushed it without a second thought. You rounded another corner, the buildings around you turning to rubble as the Hollow pressed through the ramshackle structures as though they were nothing more than minor hindrances.

But as you rounded the corner you tripped – a mop, left haphazardly strewn out by some resident likely too lazy to bother actually properly storing it in this heat. The vibrations of the Hollow trouncing around were wildly growing as it came through the alley, and by the time you were on your feet it was there, towering above you.

It raised both arms, preparing to deliver the final strike, and-

An explosion engulfed you, the second time in the span of only a few minutes that you were knocked about and generally buffeted by these forces. But this time you were actually quite grateful for it.

Because when the smoke cleared, the Hollow had a huge hole through its chest – and was beginning to vanish.

You looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. But it didn’t take very long. The Shinigami who had done it wasn’t exactly attempting to hide – he was standing in the middle of the street, one hand on his blade, as if expecting the Hollow to suddenly strike back.

His outfit was unusual. He wore a strange hat, one you had not seen a Shinigami wear before. And over his robes he wore a bright pink sash covered in flowers… it wasn’t exactly intimidating, like you would think of a Shinigami, but power radiated outward from him somehow. 

He sighed, taking his hand off of his blade and tipping his hat once again. This man was incredible, to have taken out a Hollow so quickly, so easily. And he had saved your life. What should you do?

**Talk to him: Go to Chapter 55**

**Leave: Go to Chapter 56**


	28. Chapter 28

“Fight!”

Maybe it was temporary insanity, or just adrenaline-fueled bravado. Whatever it was, you grabbed a piece of shattered board and ran – straight at the Hollow, quite the opposite reaction most people would have had.

With a shout of exertion, as the Hollow’s arm came through the hole, you gripped the flat end of the shattered piece of wood and thrust it forward. You drove it straight through the flesh of the black creature, digging it deep into the arm, the satisfying yet disgusting sound reverberating through the house.

The Hollow roared in pain and retracted its arm. You stared at the hole, ready, waiting for even the slightest movement.

The whole house shook, and you lost your footing as you stumbled backward, away from the now-missing wall of your house. The roof stayed up, somehow miraculously supported by the three walls that remained, but now the Hollow had thrust most of its upper body directly into your house, and you were cornered.

So, mind already accepting the fight or flight response it had chosen, you did what was natural. You swung the board as hard as you could at the head that was tightly jammed into the room with you. The board cracked in half, sending splinters flying across the house. The Hollow barely moved, though… and you began to contemplate just how much damage you thought you could do armed with wood and your bare hands.

You didn’t have enough time to come up with an answer – the Hollow was pissed, and because you had backed just out of biting range, it smashed its palm into you instead. You were sent backward with enough force to crash through the wall and out into the street.

Your head was spinning, but you got your feet underneath you – somehow. You were off, fleeing through the streets, hoping against hope that the loud pounding behind you was farther than you thought, that you would be able to escape, that-

You would learn how to fly?

No, you weren’t flying, you were being carried – the arm wrapped around your waist told you that as soon as you had the thought. And as you were, quickly, deposited on the ground, you saw your savior for who she was.

A Shinigami.

“Captain, the boy is safe!”

“Good job, Lisa. Now, stand back.”

Another Shinigami stepped forward. He was taller, but looked a bit sillier… yet as he drew his blade, you felt an aura of power wash over the area. Like you were being pulled to the ground by sheer energy. The woman, Lisa, she kept her arms around you, supporting you and protecting you as her Captain stepped forward.

Your eyes widened, trying to catch every detail. It wasn’t every day that one met a Shinigami, much less a Captain. Unfortunately, your efforts were in vain. No matter how much you widened your eyes, you weren’t able to catch any of what happened next. Suddenly the Captain was gone, and the Hollow was split in two, a brilliant white flash being all that clued you in to the stroke of a powerful sword.

You barely noticed as the arms left you, when you were suddenly alone. The force pressing you down had vanished, too, and you were left standing there, just staring at the Captain and the Shinigami who had rescued you, both of them standing there, talking in hushed tones, looking very serious.

**Approach them: Go to Chapter 57**

**Leave immediately: Go to Chapter 58**


	29. Chapter 29

The primal part of your brain, and the part that understood just how dangerous Hollows really were, managed to overpower your sheer terror. You didn’t even realize that you were turned around and sprinting, until you cleared your house and were moving through the streets, ducking and weaving.

You had a small head start – the Hollow was just beginning to pull the rest of its body through as you ran, and behind you, you heard what you guessed was a roar of frustration as it tried to force the rest of its body through, while you grew ever farther away.

The distant sound of massive footsteps continued after you, but you couldn’t see the Hollow as you peered back. Your best guess was that you had somehow managed to lose it, putting enough buildings between yourself and the Hollow that it couldn’t follow you. Instead it wandered aimlessly. But you weren’t going to stop until you were much farther away than a few buildings.

You kept up the pace for so long that by the time you were forced to stop, having no more energy left in your limbs, you couldn’t recognize the buildings you were around anymore.

You put your hands on your knees, bent over and panting, even while trying to remain quiet. The sound of footsteps was still somewhat nearby, too close for comfort, but you had to take shelter in a large doorway of someone’s home for fear if you didn’t you’d die of exhaustion first.

A sudden scream rent the air. It was a woman’s shouting, followed by an equally panicked, but somehow more angry than fearful shout.

“Get away from me you stupid son of a bitch!”

A long, drawn out roar followed it. A chill ran through your veins as you realized what had happened – the Hollow had found a new target.

You only had seconds to choose – which would you do?

**Go help the voice: Go to Chapter 59**

**Run away while it’s distracted: Go to Chapter 60**


	30. Chapter 30

You couldn’t help it. You had never so much as seen a Hollow before; hell, you barely even knew what one was supposed to look like until today. That was why you froze, why you couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the arm grabbing for you.

But when you felt those long black talons wrapping around you, you certainly started screaming.

Not that you had much time. As soon as you were gripped, you were being dragged toward the portal. You thrashed, fought, and did everything you could to escape the powerful grip… but it seemed impossible. All your efforts barely got you a few inches of movement in the tight grip. In an instant, you were thrust through the portal, still in the grip of the Hollow.

Behind you, the portal that you had entered through closed quickly. Your last hope of escape disappeared. You had stopped screaming, although the fear had only grown worse. Now you were simply silently terrified, as the Hollow turned you to face it. Your eyes widened as you looked into its grinning maw.

It didn’t waste time on words, if it could even talk. It merely opened its mouth…

And then you were swallowed by utter blackness.

**Go to Chapter 61**


	31. Chapter 31

You had to defend yourself, especially since you had to assume that the guy who owned two wooden swords and had them at the ready was quite a bit more skilled with them than you were. So instead of focusing on trying to attack Gin you began circling, backing away steadily, moving around the house as you tried to deflect his blows. The stab, aimed for your abdomen, glanced off of your right side. From there, you started awkwardly trying to tap his blows out of the way using your own weapon. But he was persistent, and the longer the battle drew on, the more Gin seemed to drive into you.

He didn’t stop until eventually you moved to parry a downward strike, and he suddenly redirected his blade. You barely even saw it happening, but suddenly your side was aching and you noticed the sword digging into it.

“You’re okay. For someone who’s never held a sword before, I guess you can’t expect much more,” Gin said as he withdrew the blade. You couldn’t help but feel somewhat awkward – the battle was fake, but something had glittered in his eyes as he struck.

“Thanks… I think,” You muttered.

“Don’t worry too much. He’s looking for any excuse to train lately, what with the Shinigami exams coming up in just two days,” Rangiku said calmly.

“Shinigami exams… in two days?”

“Sure are, the Academy is holding their entrance exams in the early afternoon. Anyone and everyone who wants to get out of this place is going to be there… most of them will fail.”

“Very positive,” You noted quietly. He had a strange look in his eyes, an almost dangerous look, one that you weren’t certain you wanted to fool around with.

“Oh, I’m absolutely certain I’m going to make it in. The rest of the crop, not so much.”

“That’s Gin for you, always so cocky,” Rangiku added with a smile.

The two of you sat back down, though you kept an eye on the silver-haired boy. You weren’t certain if he was going to throw any more blades at you suddenly.

“It isn’t called being cocky when you can actually do it, you know,” He added dryly, that same fox-like grin plastered on his face.

“What about you, Rangiku? Are you going to join?”

Rangiku looked quite surprised, as if that was the last question she expected. “Well… of course. Won’t everyone try out? It’s one of the only ways to get out of here with your soul still intact…”

You nodded grimly. Of course, the life of a Shinigami could be even more dangerous… still…

“You should come back tomorrow and train along with us,” Rangiku said suddenly, looking over at you. “We could always use the help… and besides, the more people that we have to train against, the stronger we’ll become.”

You nodded your head back and forth idly. It sounded interesting, but… what were you going to do?

**Come back tomorrow, train with them: Go to Chapter 62**

**Decline, go on your own: Go to Chapter 63**


	32. Chapter 32

Well, the best defense is a good offense right? Besides, you knew that a guy who owned two wooden swords (and who was so willing and ready to use them at any time, even) was someone who was going to be a lot more skilled than you were. The only shot you had was going to be catching him off guard, immediately.

So as the blow came, you reacted as quickly as you could. You smashed the sword away using your own, and before he could react, shoved your own blade forward. 

But although you had no idea how, he reacted faster than you thought possible. Instead of landing a blow and winning, both of you ended up with the tip of a wooden sword at your throat, bent awkwardly backward trying to escape the uncomfortable feeling.

Gin stared between your face and your sword, looking quite amazed, which was impressive since to look amazed he had to open his eyes beyond a mere squint.

“Well now, isn’t this unexpected? I have to admit, I didn’t think you would go on the offensive quite so quickly. But…”

Suddenly his blade was twirling, effortlessly knocking your own sword away. Then he was at your throat, weapon lightly pressing into the front of your neck as that same grin covered his face. You were completely unable to understand how he had moved so quickly, but you knew by how little effort he seemed to have put in that beating you was child’s play to him, regardless of your tactics.

“I won’t be making that mistake again,” he finished.

“Been a while since someone put a sword to your throat, Gin,” Rangiku commented idly from the corner of the room.

“Are you trying to say something?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow at the young girl.

“Just that you’re slipping!” Rangiku snorted and laughed a little bit, but Gin went back to ignoring her as he focused again on you.

“With guts like that and a little bit of skill, you could make it as a Shinigami. Come back tomorrow. The exam is in two days; maybe together the three of us can help each other?”

You thought about that for a few moments…

**Agree to come back: Go to Chapter 64**

**Decline their offer: Go to Chapter 65**


	33. Chapter 33

“I think I can make it on my own…” you began slowly, “…but I’m certainly not going to turn down help.”

Gin nodded, with that same blank smile on his face. “Excellent. Do you have any experience?”

The vague enthusiasm that had coated your features a moment ago faded quickly when you realized that, no, you did not in fact have any experience. In fact… you didn’t think anyone outside the Academy itself did. In fact what kind of question was that at all?!

“Uh, no… do you?”

“No.”

You deadpanned as Gin didn’t even react. Rangiku chuckled and interjected to explain quickly.

“Gin is just joking, the Academy doesn’t require any experience. They mostly just test you on your Spiritual Pressure… for the most part. If you’ve got enough, they’ll let you in on principle, or if you can prove that you would make a good Shinigami in other ways like swordsmanship or physical strength they’ll train you as well.”

“Indeed. That’s why we’re going to kill two birds with one stone… I believe that’s the expression,” Gin said, pointing to the corner. There you spied two wooden swords laying crossed, both looking quite worn around the blades.

“We’ll be using those?”

“And one more. Not to worry, I always keep a spare… somewhere. We break them quite a bit,” Rangiku said with a mischievous grin.

You smiled and nodded. You didn’t really know what to say, but you felt oddly confident in this plan. And if anything was going to get you a better life it was a trip to the Academy. You just had to work hard at making it in…

“Well, we could start today, but it’s getting late, and we’re going to want to be well rested for the next couple of days, so I think we’re best going to bed for now.”

Gin’s words didn’t necessarily imply that you had to leave, but you took the hint anyway. “I suppose that’s about the best plan for now… I’m looking forward to training with both of you.”

“Hey, it’s getting late,” Rangiku said, casting her gaze outside. You looked out and noticed for the first time just how much time had passed – the chill of the evening air was entering the house, and you realized the sun was already well over the horizon, only the faintest glimpse left on the border between land and sky.

“I’ll walk you back. It’s not always safe in this neighborhood at night.”

You looked to Gin. He seemed a bit surprised, but if he was displeased now (if he hadn’t been already) he didn’t voice an objection.

Still, would you accept the offer?

**Say yes: Go to Chapter 66**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 67**


	34. Chapter 34

“Sorry, but I think I’m going to try on my own. I want to see if I have what it takes,” you said after a moment. And it was true, you did want to see if you had the skills to enter the academy alone – but more than that, something about this guy set you on edge. Maybe it was just your imagination. Then again, you hadn’t lived as long as you had by ignoring your gut no matter how silly the suspicion seemed.

“Shame,” Gin said, though his voice betrayed no actual disappointment of any kind. “But I suppose I can’t blame you for wanting to try on your own.”

You nodded. “Sorry. If I can’t make it through on my own, I’ll probably need all the help I can get.”

“I’m not planning on failing.”

The words were spoken so oddly cold that you almost thought he actually believed you were implying that he would fail if you did. You held up your hands immediately, almost shocked. “I, I didn’t mean-“

“Of course not, I just mean that Rangiku and I will be quite occupied at the Academy, so we won’t be able to help you later, either.”

His smile was starting to seriously disturb you. You stood and bowed quickly.

“Thank you very much for the food. I’m afraid I have to leave, but I hope to meet you both again. At the academy,” You added, feeling more confident both in your arrival… and that you weren’t sure you wanted to see him there anyway.

“It’s been fun.”

“Hey, it’s getting late,” Rangiku said, casting her gaze outside. You looked out and noticed for the first time just how much time had passed – the chill of the evening air was entering the house, and you realized the sun was already well over the horizon, only the faintest glimpse left on the border between land and sky.

“I’ll walk you back. It’s not always safe in this neighborhood at night.”

You looked to Gin. He seemed a bit surprised, but if he was displeased now (if he hadn’t been already) he didn’t voice an objection.

Still, would you accept the offer?

**Say yes: Go to Chapter 68**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 69**


	35. Chapter 35

“It… hurts…”

“Well of course it does, you were lucky to survive. Not many people do, the first time they meet a Hollow.” The man was holding a small cloth to your chest now, trying to stop the bleeding. The funny thing was, for having a hole pierced into the skin on your chest, you weren’t really bleeding that much.

“No, it… it feels so, so cold…”

You took a step forward, reaching for the Captain’s chest. You caught a grip on the silk covered in pink flowers, and then fell forward.

You heard a gasp, but you weren’t sure where it came from – you, the Captain, or someone else entirely. And a moment later, you were unconscious.

~~~~  
Your dreams – no, your nightmares – were something so horrifying that you could barely process what was happening. Each moment you were surrounded by darkness as thick and visible as if it were a black ocean, and it would wash over you, swallowing you into its depths, and in the very instant before you felt yourself gasping for a breath of darkness you would rise from the depths.

This happened, over and over again, like some kind of unholy baptism. You were afloat in a sea of the stuff, and for the longest time, it seemed like you were doomed to continue the cycle until eventually the fight left you, and you fell into the sea forever.

But after what felt like hours of this turmoil and torment, you found yourself gaining footing – literally. Something underneath you – at first, all you could do was stand on it on your very tiptoes and occasionally jump to poke your head out. But in time, the water seemed to recede, and you were slowly uncovered, to the point that you stood, watching as the dark liquid seeped away at an unusually fast rate.

The last drained away, and you were left standing, cold and alone. You still couldn’t see anything, not even the ground underneath your feet. You held yourself, trying to breathe warmth back into your frozen torso.

“H… hello?” You called out, but nothing answered. The vague sound of wind in the distance was present, but nothing else.

“Is… is anyone there?”

But there was no one.

You were all alone.

~~~~

With a shout, you awoke, startled and frightened. There was immediately a hand on your chest, pressing you back into what you – in your panicked state of mind – did not immediately realize was a surprisingly comfortable bed. You fought for a moment, but there was no give in the arm – you were forced back down, forcibly yet gently.

“Easy, easy. You’re safe, young one.”

You looked up. The man was there – the one who had saved you, the Shinigami in the pink flowery sash. You looked around and saw that you were no longer in your neighborhood… in fact, you didn’t think you were anywhere in the Rukongai!

You were in your own room, for one. It wasn’t a beaten up or run down shack, for two. And for three, another Shinigami was there. An older woman, with long, black, braided hair.

“He is… healed. As much as I could hope to accomplish in a day.”

Your eyes widened, but before you could voice your concerns, you were shushed. “You’ve been out for quite a while there. You had us very worried.”

“It’s been almost a full day since you fell unconscious,” the woman said, giving you your answer at last.

“A whole day…? I have to go home, they might have-“ You didn’t really have a reason, you had nothing at your house to be stolen, no pets to feed, no fires to put out… you just felt an uncontrollable urge to leave this place, and now.

“Calm down, calm down. We took care of everything. Your house was destroyed by that Hollow, so you’re going to be living in the Seireitei from now on.”

“I, w-… what?” It took several seconds for you to spit that sentence out. You were barely conscious to begin with, such a phrase – such a promise – was impossible to understand immediately.

“You’re going to be moving into the eighth division headquarters, with me. That is, until you apply for the Academy tomorrow,” the man said with a smile. “We’ve already guaranteed you an application.”

You were so unbelievably excited that you didn’t even bother to question the many things with his words that were concerning. You tried to form words, but nothing came out except excited sputtering.

“But for now, we’ll just…”

**”…Train you a little before the exam.” Go to Chapter 70**

**“…Show you around the division.” Go to Chapter 71**


	36. Chapter 36

You held back, or rather, something stopped you from telling him what you were feeling. Was it mistrust? A feeling of genuine dread? Whatever it was, you couldn’t help but feel like you were better off keeping silent.

And then, abruptly, instead of the Captain you found yourself staring at the ground. You were so out of it that even though you saw your collision with the ground, you didn’t feel a thing as your head bounced once, and then fell as still as your mind.

~~~~

Your dreams – no, your nightmares – were something so horrifying that you could barely process what was happening. Each moment you were surrounded by darkness as thick and visible as if it were a black ocean, and it would wash over you, swallowing you into its depths, and in the very instant before you felt yourself gasping for a breath of darkness you would rise from the depths.

This happened, over and over again, like some kind of unholy baptism. You were afloat in a sea of the stuff, and for the longest time, it seemed like you were doomed to continue the cycle until eventually the fight left you, and you fell into the sea forever.

It felt like hours, maybe longer – all you knew was that in one moment, you were struggling against the thousandth wave to rise around you, when all of a sudden one crashed down on top of your head. Suddenly you were being pulled down, your lungs filled with the blackness, your head spinning, around, and around, and…

~~~~

You awoke, gasping and sputtering. A splitting pain immediately greeted you, as your forehead felt like you had split something open. You tried to put your hands over your throbbing skull, and only then did you feel the hands gripping your arms, holding them down.

“Easy, there. You fell unconscious after the Hollow attack. Not surprising, considering what you went through.”

“Where… where am I?” You asked, looking around in a daze. You recognized the man as he released his grip – the Shinigami who had saved you. He was still wearing that straw hat and pink sash, and he still had that same smile.

“We brought you back to the house we thought was yours. We’re… not really sure, to be honest, but we haven’t seen signs of anyone coming back to this area, so you’re probably free to stay here for a while, anyway.”

You nodded, but as you looked around, you realized you barely recognized the house you were in. None of the familiar bits of rotten and damaged wood surrounded you; entirely new sections were destroyed, and the door pointed out to a different view. He’d gotten it wrong… you couldn’t help but wonder if the occupants were dead. Or if they had fled to the corners of the Rukongai to escape when the Hollow attacked them.

“Captain, we have to leave soon. The twelfth division is on their way to investigate how the Hollow was able to penetrate so easily without being discovered immediately, they’ve requested that the area be cleared.”

The Shinigami sitting next to you nodded and stood, as a second appeared and addressed him. He threw a glance back at you, then turned to the female Shinigami. You took a good look at her, and noted her glasses, and the odd book she was carrying at her side.

“The twelfth division can deal with a single child. He’s been through quite enough today.”

As the Shinigami started to walk out, you couldn’t help but stare after them for a moment, before you…

**Shouted for them to take you with them: Go to Chapter 72**

**Stayed silent, and looked around the area: Go to Chapter 73**


	37. Chapter 37

“I… I think so?” You said, questioningly, as if you yourself weren’t certain.

“That’s good… I was afraid the Hollow might have crushed some of your bones.” The matter-of-fact tone was not particularly reassuring. Fortunately for you, you weren’t alone with her long enough for her to say anything else particularly scarring.

“I’m glad you found him when you did, Nanao.” A Shinigami stepped forward from behind you, nodding at the other one and then turning to you. “He’s a little worse for the wear, but I think you’ll be alright, won’t you?”

Saying that, he rustled your hair around a little bit, making you shake some of it away from your eyes. You looked up at them in awe – not unexpected considering that you were staring at two of your idols, one of whom had just saved you from certain death.

“Captain, how was the Hollow able to get through the-“

“Now, Nanao, we should discuss this with the twelfth division when they arrive, not here,” the Shinigami said. He seemed very unusual to you – unlike most Shinigami he was wearing a white cloth on top of his black robes, but on top of that was a pink sash covered in flowers. It didn’t really scream ‘command’, but from the way he was acting he seemed to be in charge of the other one.

“I… yes, Captain,” She said, bowing her head slightly.

A Captain? Your eyes widened and your mouth fell open a little, stuttering as if you were searching for something to say but couldn’t find it – if you were about to, though, the Captain cut you off.

“The twelfth division is going to be here soon… they’re going to want this whole area quarantined, and you’re not going to want to meet their Captain,” the man said, bending to a knee to place his face at your level. “Why don’t you take this, and go find something nice to eat, and a place to stay for the night? I’m sure they’ll be done well before the morning comes.”

He thrust a fairly large sum of money into your hands – well, to you, at least. More than enough to find some place to stay for the night and plenty of food, especially with how desperate people were around here… if you could keep it from being stolen.

You nodded, unable to find the words. The Captain simply smiled at you, patted your head again, and gave you a slight push.

“That’s a kid, tough as nails. Sorry we can’t do more for you, but if we stick around it’ll only antagonize that Mayuri. Come on, Nanao, let’s head back. I could really use a shoulder massage.”

“Captain, you have to file your report-“ With that, the man in the pink sash was gone, moving so fast you couldn’t even see it. You stared in awe as the woman made a low, dangerous sound in her throat and then followed off at an equally impressive speed.

You took almost a minute to finally look down and stare at the money in your hand. This was by no means something you could live off of, but it would give you a place to stay, and plenty to eat… but what should you look for first?

**A place to stay: Go to Chapter 74**

**Food! Go to Chapter 75**


	38. Chapter 38

“Th… thank you so much!” You shouted, throwing yourself at the legs of the woman in front of you and wrapping your arms around them. She made a very quiet, somewhat startled noise, but didn’t push you away. If anything, she seemed to warm slightly.

“Well, I’m glad I was able to stop the Hollow,” She said quietly, staring down at you.

“Well done Nanao. I see you beat me here,” a voice said softly behind her. You pulled away from the Shinigami who had saved you – this Nanao – and looked back. A man was standing there in a similar outfit with a white garment on top, and a pink sash covered in the designs of a flower. He was quite an odd spectacle between that and the large straw hat he was wearing; he was almost nothing like your typical image of the hard, strong Shinigami.

“I heard this young boy shouting and rushed as quickly as I could, Captain,” Nanao said, nodding her head slightly toward him. You looked on in a bit of awe – this was a Captain? That meant he was one of the most powerful of all Shinigami. At least in the top thirteen, right? Was that how it worked?

“Well, at least we were able to save one of its victims…” The Captain said, a small frown crossing his face. “The twelfth division is already on their way. We should clear out of here…”

Nanao nodded, and threw a glance back at you. “You should leave as well. The Captain of the twelfth division may show up, and he is… not friendly.”

You nodded slowly, disappointed that your saviors were already leaving, before you even got to properly meet them. But without another word both of them turned away and started walking back toward – you assumed – Seireitei. Your mouth opened suddenly, and you shouted out-

**-to the Shinigami Captain: Go to Chapter 76**

**-to the woman who had saved you: Go to Chapter 77**


	39. Chapter 39

A good life indeed. Status as a Shinigami, regardless of your position, guaranteed you at the very least a bed and food, something that was often in short supply, even in the wealthiest districts of the Rukongai. And if you were able to somehow work your way up to the position of a Seated Officer or a Lieutenant… well, you might not be living the life a noble, but you’d certainly be on the upper end, and anything was better than where you were now.

It wasn’t actually that big of an obstacle, actually. At least, you hoped not. There was an examination in just two days – if you passed that, you would already be an Academy student, and from there it was just a matter of time until you became an actual Shinigami.

When you arrived home, the night had arrived but was still young. As you stared out into the streets, the sounds of a few people wandering out into the cool night air greeted you. You didn’t plan to be here for long, you had no desire… but as you were now, you weren’t certain how far you could make it toward becoming a Shinigami. You had one day to prepare, and one day only. Tomorrow you would have to prepare yourself for whatever trials lay ahead of you.

You tore the loaf of bread in half with a ravenous appetite. The excitement of the day had rendered you an utterly famished child, but you wanted to save at least some of it for the morning. Before you knew it, you were down to nothing but crumbs, and your stomach still growled for more as you stared over at the loaf. Your mind couldn’t help but think of the two who had, albeit inadvertently and in one case unwillingly, helped you attain it. Those two were certainly something. Perhaps you’d even run into them again soon. Maybe they would enter the Academy too, one day.

Before long you realized that you had curled up on your cot without even thinking about it. As you fell asleep, one last thought crossed your mind – first thing in the morning, you were going to…

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 78**

**Find those two kids again: Go to Chapter 79**


	40. Chapter 40

Fame, fortune… who didn’t want those things? But power and respect on top of that? Those were incredible layers of icing on an already appealing cake. To become a Captain, or even the Captain Commander, to have an entire squad or an entire army of Shinigami waiting at your fingertips, willing to obey any command you might give – that was your ultimate goal in life. Not to mention the life of luxury that would come with it.

It wasn’t actually that big of an obstacle, actually. At least, you hoped not. There was an examination in just two days – if you passed that, you would already be an Academy student, and from there it was just a matter of time until you became an actual Shinigami.

When you arrived home, the night had arrived but was still young. As you stared out into the streets, the sounds of a few people wandering out into the cool night air greeted you. You didn’t plan to be here for long, you had no desire… but as you were now, you weren’t certain how far you could make it toward becoming a Shinigami. You had one day to prepare, and one day only. Tomorrow you would have to prepare yourself for whatever trials lay ahead of you.

You tore the loaf of bread in half with a ravenous appetite. The excitement of the day had rendered you an utterly famished child, but you wanted to save at least some of it for the morning. Before you knew it, you were down to nothing but crumbs, and your stomach still growled for more as you stared over at the loaf. You couldn’t help but curse the fact that you were literally living off of crumbs most of the time these days – one day, you knew, you would be rich, and powerful. You would never have to live like this again, and anyone who stood in your path would be crushed under the weight of your power.

But despite the fact that it was still somewhat early you couldn’t help but release a yawn as you rolled over onto the makeshift bed under you. As you closed your eyes and your mind wandered to the day ahead, you made the decision in your head. First thing in the morning, you would…

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 80**

**Find the two others you met earlier: Go to Chapter 81**


	41. Chapter 41

Yes. _All_ the women, that was the dream. Of course, most people settled for one, but why give up the dream before you had to? After all, in these times dreams were all most people had; might as well make them fantastic. Besides, if you made it as a Shinigami any woman in Rukongai would give her right arm to be with you, and her left too if you pushed the issue. Once you graduated from the Academy the sky would truly become the limit – and those things you were calling dreams might be a reality. You just had to make it through the Academy first.

It wasn’t actually that big of an obstacle, actually. At least, you hoped not. There was an examination in just two days – if you passed that, you would already be an Academy student, and from there it was just a matter of time until you became an actual Shinigami.

When you arrived home, the night had arrived but was still young. As you stared out into the streets, the sounds of a few people wandering out into the cool night air greeted you. You didn’t plan to be here for long, you had no desire… but as you were now, you weren’t certain how far you could make it toward becoming a Shinigami. You had one day to prepare, and one day only. Tomorrow you would have to prepare yourself for whatever trials lay ahead of you.

You tore the loaf of bread in half with a ravenous appetite. The excitement of the day had rendered you an utterly famished child, but you wanted to save at least some of it for the morning. Before you knew it, you were down to nothing but crumbs, and your stomach still growled for more as you stared over at the loaf. You couldn’t help but let your eyes fall to the other half… you had been alone for so long that the fantasies of finding your significant other (others?) burned a little bit as you eyed the uneaten half, and wondered if there might be someone out there to share the next loaf with.

Perhaps it was sadness or simply exhaustion from the chase, but you found yourself laying on the makeshift cot underneath you with a sigh of resignation. But as you inspected the inside of your eyelids and felt your mind slowly growing groggier and groggier with the passage of time, you found that your dreams that night were filled with a face, the image of…

**The girl from earlier: Go to Chapter 82**

**A woman you’d never seen before: Go to Chapter 83**


	42. Chapter 42

You decided to investigate – whatever it was, with how quiet the day had been (for the most part) any source of noise was something worthy of attention. Still…

You hadn’t expected the commotion to come to you.

You had only just begun your journey toward the noise, barely around the first corner, when what looked like a large man plowed through the building to your right. Seriously, plowed right through a wall as if he weren’t aware that there was a wall there. You jumped back in surprise, and looked around for the cause. It wasn’t that hard to find the cause, considering that there was a man that was even more imposing than the wall just a few feet away.

He stood there, in a gray, thin shirt with quite a few tears; in fact, it looked like the sleeves had been ripped off with bare hands. It bore numerous cuts and rips smaller than that, and it was covered in spattered stains… all of them red, or a very faded brown.

The large man turned toward you and glared, raising up a blade and pointing it in your direction, the gleaming tip bright and shiny in the late afternoon sun.

“HEY, YOU!”

As you stared at the man, one eye twitching in what could only be described as ‘sheer nervous fear’, you took the only natural course of action –

**-and ran right back the way you came: Go to Chapter 84**

**-and shouted back at him: Go to Chapter 85**


	43. Chapter 43

You shrugged as you turned away from the noise. You weren’t certain what it was, but it really didn’t interest you, and for some reason it seemed like the right choice to just ignore it and keep going. You looked up into the sky, noticing the rising moon as if it were the first time. The night was still young, but it was growing later by the moment, and you were a little ways from your house now, amidst all your wandering.

You started to pick apart the bread as you turned back toward the direction you thought (hoped) your house was. You wanted to eat it in the comfort of your own home, but you felt like if you didn’t get to bed shortly after arriving at home you were never going to get up in time to do anything tomorrow. So you ate while walking, so absorbed that even the loud sounds behind you that were steadily growing scarcely caught your attention.

In fact, by the time you got home, you were just throwing the last piece back, your stomach almost aching with how much you’d eaten. You hadn’t had such a filling or satisfying meal in many weeks, as sad as that was. As you stared out into the streets, the sounds of a few people wandering out into the cool night air greeted you. You didn’t plan to be here for long, you had no desire… but as you were now, you weren’t certain how far you could make it toward becoming a Shinigami. Once you graduated from the Academy the sky would truly become the limit – and those things you were calling dreams might be a reality. You just had to make it through the Academy first.

It wasn’t actually that big of an obstacle, actually. At least, you hoped not. There was an examination in just two days – if you passed that, you would already be an Academy student, and from there it was just a matter of time until you became a Shinigami.

You sighed, and as you lay upon the uncomfortable mess you called a bed, you felt yourself quickly drifting off to sleep, quite tired after the day's events.

 

~~~~

Your eyes cracked open, very slowly, as the sounds of commotion outside awoke you. The sunlight that was shining down was bright and powerful, and you had to shield your eyes for several moments as the sheer radiance of it threatened to overwhelm you at first. The sun must have been quite bright for it to be shining so-

The sound of bells cut off your thoughts. You weren’t sure how long they had been going, but as you recognized one you counted to at least ten. And it was probably the bells that had woken you up so… eleven? Twelve maybe?

“UGH! I slept in, badly…” You muttered, rolling over, angry at yourself but too tired to manifest it in any way other than simply loathing yourself quietly.

“What the hell do I do now…?”

**Search for the two from yesterday: Go to Chapter 86**

**Use the day to train: Go to Chapter 87**


	44. Chapter 44

“The… others?” You asked, hesitantly.

Perhaps it was your imagination, but the room seemed to darken a little. Renji and Rukia both looked down at the ground or away from you for several seconds before looking each other in the eyes. Then Renji gave a small grunt that sounded particularly angry, and he turned away. Rukia looked up at you – and for perhaps the first time since you’d met her, she looked truly sad.

“There… weren’t always just the two of us. We used to be – well, were a group. A family. Most of us had none to begin with, the rest of us lost ours somewhere along the way. We decided to stick together, to try to make it, but it wasn’t easy. We were able to survive together at first, but over time,” she sighed deeply and trailed off for a moment. When she finally did resume it was an entirely different thought. “After a while it was just Renji and I. And we knew that… if we didn’t become Shinigami… we wouldn’t be here much longer either…”

There was a long pause. You were starting to regret asking the question at all.

“There, now you know. Done prying into our past? Can we eat?” Renji muttered, but though the jab was harsh his heart didn’t seem to be in it.

He wasn’t helping your regret.

You all ate in silence for the next few moments, and when the conversation finally began again, it was as harmless as you could make it. They asked you where you lived, how long you had been in this district of Rukongai, what your plans were, being very careful to avoid talking about anything to do with their own past. It was discussing your own plans when you finally breached a subject that got them out of their melancholy.

“You want to be a Shinigami?” Rukia asked.

“Psh, as if.” Renji rolled his eyes and leaned back into the wall.

“I don’t know if I’m good enough to get in… but in two days when they have their entrance exams, I’m going to do everything I can to join the Academy.”

Rukia nodded. “We… are also going to try to join.”

You looked between the two of them. “Can you give me any, you know, tips? I know that you can come back as many times as you want, but I still don’t want to fail.”

“It’s our first try too, and we haven’t heard anything about what it’s like,” Rukia said sadly.

“The playing field is even. We’ll just have to see who comes out on top!” Renji said, looking confident that he would be the victor.

“I guess so,” Rukia added quietly.

You looked toward the door, feeling a little bit awkward still. Your eyes widened as you realized the sun had already set – the sky was nearly black, and the heat that had permeated the house through most of the rest of the day was almost completely gone.

“I… suppose I had better be going,” You said quickly, standing up abruptly. “I have a while to walk, and I don’t really want to be on the streets very late.”

“Alright… Renji, you’re the escort,” Rukia said, yawning and throwing back her hands. “I’m going to bed.”

“What?! Why do I have to-“

“Because I’m the boss and you know it,” Rukia quickly shot back, before laying down on her futon and throwing the blankets over her, ending the argument seemingly immediately.

Renji growled, but seemed inclined to agree. He grabbed your arm and started heading for the door.

**Tell him to stay here: Go to Chapter 88**

**Make him come with you: Go to Chapter 89**


	45. Chapter 45

“How long have you two been living together out here?” You asked quickly, wanting to stay as far away from such a clearly sensitive topic as you possibly could.

Was that gratefulness you spied in Rukia’s eyes? Whatever it was, it was gone in a moment. “Well… as long as either of us can remember, really,” Rukia said, scratching awkwardly at the side of her head. “There was a lot of time before I knew Renji, and he went for quite a while before I rescued him,”

“Hey!” Renji shouted suddenly, “You know as well as I do that I was going to get away!”

“Ahem. But we don’t really remember those times. They were hard and… there’s a lot we’d like to forget.”

The sentence didn’t leave any room for further inquiry, but you felt that some of the tension had lifted. You all tore into the loaves and soon the three of you were sitting there, stomachs nearly bulging out. A loaf of bread was a meal that sometimes lasted you a week – and then you’d have to go days before attaining another one. It was nice to just enjoy yourself for once.

“Alright, alright, time to go,” Renji said after he finished his own bread, seemingly trying to brush you away. “We’ve got to move our whole stash now that you’ve seen it, and it’s getting late!”

“Hold on Renji!” Rukia shouted, but for once he seemed to ignore her completely, planting his arms on your shoulders and pushing forcibly, until you had to start walking out the door or fall over onto your face.

“He did save my life,” Rukia shouted out as one last attempt to stop the red-haired boy. Renji sighed and stopped in his tracks.

“He stopped you from getting a few bruises, at best! Besides, what do you want me to do, Rukia? Invite him over for tea, same time tomorrow?” Renji growled.

“Let him stay the night.”

“WHAT?!” Renji shouted, as if the idea was so repulsive that his whole body had to shudder while he yelled that.

“We could use the help. We still haven’t done as much preparing for the Shinigami Academy entrance exams as you said you wanted to, and having another person can only help.”

“I say we ship him off and let him be happy he got something to eat!”

You looked back and forth between the two. Disagreeing didn’t seem to be something that they minded (or avoided for longer than a few minutes), but you still felt a little awkward being the cause of so much tension. In the end you decided…

**To stay, as Rukia offered: Go to Chapter 90**

**To take some bread and leave: Go to Chapter 91**


	46. Chapter 46

Absolute excitement. You were stoked – this was your chance! You were sure that if you gave it your all you would be able to get in, and once you were in, you were set for life. The Seireitei took good care of its armed forces, whether they were the Shinigami, the Kido Corps, or any of the few other, less known warriors. Food, shelter, clean water… everything that you depended on being able to find or steal on a day to day basis was going to be available at will. 

And how dangerous could it really be? You had seen plenty of people, many of them children, meet their end out here. Hollows couldn’t pose much more of a threat than starvation and exposure.

You were so excited you lost track of time as you tried so very hard to go to sleep. It wasn’t until your eyelids cracked open again that you realized you had nodded off at all – and if it weren’t for the sunlight streaming in through your door, you probably wouldn’t have even noticed at first.

The start of a new day. The last day of your life as a vagrant child, if everything went well… the question is, how did you want to spend your day?

**Train as hard as you can!: Go to Chapter 92**

**Spend some time in the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 93**


	47. Chapter 47

You were quite nervous, actually. You hadn’t trained to be a Shinigami, you hadn’t even trained your body other than what was required and supplied by your daily survival. You always wanted to, always hoped to become a Shinigami, but daily life here was so exhausting that you never had the strength. The lack of food, sleep, and proper care didn’t help in the least, but that didn’t matter now. You had to pass the test, it was the only way that you were going to ever get out of here alive.

You were so busy fretting over the idea of failing that you actually dozed off without meaning to. It wasn’t until your eyelids cracked open again that you realized you had nodded off at all – and if it weren’t for the sunlight streaming in through your door and the massive hole in your roof, you probably wouldn’t have even noticed at first.

The start of a new day. The last day of your life as a vagrant child, if everything went well… but you doubted it would. You knew you had to train, and hard, and you knew of a couple places. You would go to the…

**Abandoned lots north of here: Go to Chapter 94**

**Forest to the south: Go to Chapter 95**


	48. Chapter 48

“I… seriously?!” You asked, stunned at the idea.

“Do I look like a practical joker?” She asked, flashing you that grin again. You didn’t know what it was, somehow the grin was both friendly and unnervingly unpredictable at the same time.

Kisuke raised an eyebrow, and you ignored the question. “There’s just, there’s no way that I can turn down an offer like this. T-thank you, Lady Yoruichi, Kisuke...”

“Who, me?” Kisuke said, that innocent look coming across his features. “I haven’t done anything worth thanking.”

“And neither have I. You saved my life, and I’m giving you a job. I feel like I still owe you, somehow,” Yoruichi said.

The sound of approaching feet drew the attention of your two comrades. You suddenly found yourself being pulled into a nearby, empty building as two Shinigami in black cloaks walked down the street. Yoruichi held her hand over your mouth to prevent you from making any surprised noises, and she didn’t allow her hand to fall away until after the sound of their feet had passed completely.

“That was close… we should make our way back, fast,” Kisuke said very seriously.

“How are you two going to get me in there?” You suddenly grew concerned. “I doubt that they won’t notice a new person around the house.”

“None of the family will see you much, as long as you stick close, and the servants of the Shihoin House don’t question very much. They’re all waaaaaay too strict,” Yoruichi complained.

“Present company excluded,” Kisuke said, more of a statement than a question.

“Sometimes,” Yoruichi shot back.

“Well… I suppose I have to take your word for it, unless I want to go sleep under a pile of splinters. Lead the way,” You said quietly, motioning to the door. Yoruichi nodded, and the three of you were off.

~~~~~~

~~~~~~

“That was… disturbingly easy,” You said. You looked at your surroundings with an air of complete disbelief. This was the house of one of the noble families of Seireitei – even in your wildest dreams you had never imagined you’d see the inside of one, not even as a Shinigami.

“Well, it helps when you’ve watched the people that work around here for years,” Yoruichi said. “Kisuke spent weeks watching the guards of the Seireitei and our own house before we first tried to leave.”

You looked around. It was late in the day, for while it hadn’t been particularly difficult, it had taken several hours to make your way through the Rukongai and then the Seireitei safely, avoiding detection by anyone who might recognize the two members of the Shihoin family and the many guards. The sun had set almost an hour ago, and the day’s unbearable heat had faded to a somewhat more bearable dull radiating heat from the ground.

“Thankfully, there are few other than the guards moving about at this time of night,” Kisuke added. “If there were, there would be no way to escort you in unseen.”

“Yes… speaking of night, we still have to decide your sleeping arrangements,” Yoruichi said, putting a hand to her chin thoughtfully.

You hadn’t actually thought of that. Apparently, servants could appear at will here, but making a bed suddenly appear unnoticed was still out of the realm of possibility.

“You’ll need to stay with one of us, anywhere else and you’d be noticed almost immediately. So… you can either sleep in Kisuke’s room, or in mine.”

You flushed a little bit. Had she seriously just invited you to sleep in her room? Her face was completely straight, so you had no choice but to give your answer…

**Sleep in Yoruichi’s room: Go to Chapter 96**

**Sleep in Kisuke’s room: Go to Chapter 97**


	49. Chapter 49

“Look, I really appreciate the offer, but I’m no noble. Not even a noble’s servant. I can find a new place out here, it’s really no problem at all.”

Yoruichi and Kisuke both looked a little confused, and she even looked a little hurt. “You’d rather stay out here, even after that Hollow attacked?”

You shrugged, sighing a little. “I know it sounds crazy, but I’m used to life out here. And I know I’m going to find my way out of here, eventually. I just haven’t quite figured out how.”

Kisuke nodded his head slightly. “We understand. If you want to stay out here, we won’t try to force you into coming.”

Yoruichi’s smile had faded, but she nodded her assent. “If you really would rather live out here on your own, I suppose we can’t stop you. Still…” She put her hand to the side of her head and looked as if she were thinking rather hard for a few moments.

You were trying to think of a way to say your goodbyes when she snapped her fingers and grabbed you by the shoulders. “That’s it! There’s a Shinigami Academy entrance exam in just two days; if you get accepted you’ll find your way out of Rukongai, and you’ll be doing it all on your own.”

The surprise was hard to hide – entrance examinations at the Shinigami Academy were fairly rare occurrences, and they were usually very big news. How you hadn’t heard of any of it was beyond you. “Really? That’s amazing! Thank you so much.”

She nodded, still looking a little down. “I wish we could do more for you, but with all of this commotion it won’t be safe for us to try to sneak back into Rukongai for a few days. Thank you for letting us see your house, and for… well, for everything,” Yoruichi said, her eyes cast downward.

“Indeed. We are in your debt, and I suspect we shall not get much of a chance to pay it back,” Kisuke said as he bowed his head.

“It’s no problem, really. You would have done the same thing if it were me,” You said, a bit shyly.

No one ever really said goodbye, but shortly after that the three of you looked around, everyone gave a final nod, and you went your separate ways, Kisuke and Yoruichi back toward the Seireitei and you toward… well, nowhere in particular, actually. You still hadn’t made up your mind where you were going to sleep now that your home was destroyed. You had avoided sleeping there whenever possible, lately, but it was still a loss.

There were only two options that came to mind; you could find one of your old friends’ homes – one who had been gone for years, leaving a house you knew to be vacant these days. Unfortunately, that house was a couple hours away, and it was actually in another district of the Rukongai. A slightly seedier, less lawful district. Unfortunately, the only other option in the vicinity was… well, sleeping on the street. A less comfortable, if moderately safer option, as you would be sleeping on a well-populated street with many witnesses, at least.

Which option would you end up choosing, though?

**Head to the vacant house: Go to Chapter 98**

**Sleep on the streets: Go to Chapter 99**


	50. Chapter 50

It was a pretty stupid idea. Insane, really, and it probably wouldn’t work. You didn’t even get much of a chance to warn your friends what you were going to do – you locked eyes once with Yoruichi, again with Kisuke, and then threw yourself into action.

And into the Shinigami.

“THANK YOU!” You shouted, the first thing that came to your mind, your voice cracking as you did everything you could to play the overly-hysterical, scared out of your wits child. It wasn’t hard, considering that until this Shinigami had arrived that’s basically all you had been.

“Wha- hey, watch it kid!” The Shinigami shouted as you plowed into his waist and the back of his knee, buckling it under him. He fell to a knee, gripping you just to be able to stay standing up, completely caught off guard by your sudden act of “appreciation”.

You were thrown about as the Shinigami struggled to get back to his feet, looking ahead rapidly as the Hollow closed in. You only caught a brief glimpse or two – but sure enough, as you finally had to release your grip and fall against the building nearby, you saw the tail end of Yoruichi and Kisuke, fleeing behind the buildings. You felt a little bad, but at the same time, this was about the best way to say goodbye you could think of.

“And as for you,” The Shinigami shouted, suddenly throwing an arm forward, bringing the charging Hollow to a stop seemingly without effort, “get the hell out of my face!”

With one swing of his sword, the Shinigami cut the beast in half. The black body began to fade away into spirit particles, as the soul was cleansed – ironically, it would get the Hollow a permanent place in Soul Society, another denizen of the Rukongai purified by the blade.

As the Hollow finally faded away, the Shinigami who had slain it turned to you. “Alright, now that that’s all taken care of… hey, what happened to your friends?”

You looked around nervously, then gave a shrug and a smile.

~~~~

You plodded along slowly. You felt good about yourself, since you’d helped the two nobles get away safely. Unfortunately, you were now in the position of… well, having no home. And as far as your options for finding a new home, this late in the day, well-

“Hey, over here!”

You looked in the direction that you’d heard the voice come from, and found yourself quickly face-to-face with none other than-

“Yoruichi?!” You said loudly, perhaps too loudly, as she quickly shushed you by throwing her hand over your face and pulling you into the house she’d been peeking out of.

“Geez, we stick around to thank you and you almost get us caught, again.”

“S-sorry,” You said a little sheepishly, realizing how great your error had just been.

“Relax. We just wanted to say… well, thank you.”

You were a bit taken aback. “You came all the way out here to find me just to say thank you? Shouldn’t you be running back to the Seireitei before it gets too late?”

“And here I thought our new friend would be glad to see us,” Kisuke said, laying on the sadness and laying his head into his hand.

“Well, I suppose we should just leave then-“

“Wait, wait, I’m sorry. I’m glad you came, I would’ve hated for that to be the way we got to say goodbye.”

Kisuke nodded, “sadness” evaporating and smile returning. “That’s what we thought as well. That, and Lady Yoruichi had a thought as we were escaping the scene.”

“The Shinigami Academy!” She announced proudly, slamming a fist into an open palm. You stared at her quizzically for a moment, unsure of her meaning.

“Yes… the Academy, what about it?”

“You should enter!” She said, as if it were obvious. When you still didn’t immediately register, she continued; “There are entrance exams in two days. You kept up with us pretty well back there, and if you didn’t think so quickly we wouldn’t have been able to get out of there without being recognized. You’d make a great Shinigami, and it would get you out of here for sure.”

The surprise was hard to hide – entrance examinations at the Shinigami Academy were fairly rare occurrences, and they were usually very big news. How you hadn’t heard of any of it was beyond you. “Really? That’s amazing! Thank you so much.”

She nodded, still looking a little down. “I wish we could find a real way to thank you, but with all of this commotion it won’t be safe for us to try to sneak back into Rukongai for a few days. Thank you for letting us see your house, and for covering for us. You really don’t know how strict they can be,” Yoruichi said, her eyes cast downward.

“Indeed. We are in your debt, and I suspect we shall not get much of a chance to pay it back,” Kisuke said as he bowed his head.

“It’s no problem, really. You would have done the same thing if it were me,” You said, a bit shyly.

No one ever really said goodbye, but shortly after that the three of you looked around, everyone gave a final nod, and you went your separate ways, Kisuke and Yoruichi back toward the Seireitei and you toward… well, nowhere in particular, actually. You still hadn’t made up your mind where you were going to sleep now that your home was destroyed. You had avoided sleeping there whenever possible, lately, but it was still a loss.

There were only two options that came to mind; you could find one of your old friends’ homes – one who had been gone for years, leaving a house you knew to be vacant these days. Unfortunately, that house was a couple hours away, and it was actually in another district of the Rukongai. A slightly seedier, less lawful district. Unfortunately, the only other option in the vicinity was… well, sleeping on the street. A less comfortable, if moderately safer option, as you would be sleeping on a well-populated street with many witnesses, at least.

Which option would you end up choosing, though?

**Head to the vacant house: Go to Chapter 100**

**Sleep on the streets: Go to Chapter 101**


	51. Chapter 51

You couldn’t afford to help them; the Shinigami was fighting a Hollow to save the three of you, he was the last person in the world you wanted to be distracting. Besides, they were nobles – how much trouble could they really get in?

So as the Shinigami brandished his blade at the charging Hollow, you ducked back with your friends, watching as the brave warrior slew the dark beast in a single slash, cleaving it almost entirely in half. As the black body of the beast began to fade away, he turned around, facing you as well as your companions.

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s safe now. Hey… haven’t I seen you two before?”

~~~~

You kicked at the rocks as you travelled along, quite disappointed. After they were recognized as members of the noble family, the Shinigami had insisted on escorting the both of them back to Seireitei personally. You weren’t sure if he was a high ranking Shinigami that you didn’t recognize or if he was just a nosy soldier, but you knew by the looks on the faces of your two companions that whatever was waiting for them in the Seireitei wasn’t pleasant.

You had other worries, though. Mostly, what you were supposed to do now. Your home had been destroyed by the attacking Hollow; you needed to find some other place to stay. Unfortunately, the only reliably empty house that wasn’t in a ridiculously unsafe neighborhood was all the way through Rukongai several districts away, and your only other option was to stay out here on the streets. It was easier, but not necessarily safer, and no telling who you might bump into either way…

**Head to the vacant house: Go to Chapter 102**

**Sleep on the streets: Go to Chapter 103**


	52. Chapter 52

You turned toward Kisuke. As you did so, the sound of a loud, ominous roar filled the air behind you. You threw yourself forward, barely catching your footing because of how much force your adrenaline-fueled body put into the movement. A loud smashing sound came from behind you, and it felt like the entire ground was beginning to shake, but Kisuke put a hand on your shoulder, steadying you with ease. He only gave a slight nod, and then the two of you were off.

You twisted down and alley, and there was Yoruichi – and then all three of you were sprinting, hurtling through the streets as the sounds of the Hollow padding along behind you grew closer. You’d had a significant lead as it forced its body through the portal, but now you were quickly losing ground. Not that you dared to look… but the chill running down your spine, if it was any kind of indicator, was only growing stronger.

The chase continued for what felt like forever, but it must have only been a couple of minutes. Because even you were surprised when you heard the sounds of combat behind you.

“They’re here.” Kisuke said quietly.

“I know. We need to keep moving,” Lady Yoruichi replied. You looked back, and realized what they were talking about instantly. Because the Hollow that had been chasing you was now engaged in vicious combat with a Shinigami. It was too far away for you to see any details, but you knew that a Hollow in Soul Society was not taken lightly. If the problem wasn’t resolved momentarily, then the entire force of the Gotei 13 would bear down upon it.

“Keep running,” Kisuke said quietly. You were confused, but nodded. Even with the Shinigami there, you weren’t comfortable being anywhere near that thing.

The three of you continued on for almost another minute, until eventually you came to a stop. As you looked around, however, you realized that Yoruichi was suddenly missing.

“Over here!”

You didn’t get a moment to look at where the voice had come from, but instead both you and Kisuke were grabbed and yanked, rather violently, behind a house that you were standing near.

Yoruichi was the one who had pulled you into the empty house. The three of you stood there, for several moments, just staring at each other and panting heavily to regain your breaths. Then, and no one could quite be sure who started it, the three of you started laughing hysterically.

“We… we made it!” You half-shouted, exorbitant and completely full of disbelief.

“Of course we did! No Hollow could catch up with members of the Shihoin family,” Yoruichi declared proudly.

“Indeed… fortunate for us, though, that the Shinigami arrived,” Kisuke said with a smile. “I’m not certain if I could have dragged our new friend along for much longer.”

“Hey… I was keeping up!” You replied, unable to really defend yourself. How you’d manage to stay in the same district as those two was beyond you. You were under the assumption they’d been slowing down quite a bit so that they could keep an eye out for you.

“We should be getting back, Kisuke… they’re going to lock down Rukongai soon, especially around this district. We can’t be caught outside Seireitei when that happens,” Yoruichi said with a certain degree of sadness in her voice.

“Hey, anything’s better than staying out here with the Hollows, right?” Your voice was joking, but you couldn’t help but be jealous that they were getting to go back to such a safe and comfortable location. All you had was your house in the Rukongai – and now, that had a second door. And that was being optimistic about it.

Yoruichi very obviously did not miss that. “I know… I wish we could do something for you. I feel as if it might be our fault…” She trailed off, but you could see something in her eyes. You were about to ask why she would say that, when she cut you off.

“The Shinigami Academy!” She announced proudly, slamming a fist into an open palm. You stared at her quizzically for a moment, unsure of her meaning.

“Yes… the Academy, what about it?”

“You should enter!” She said, as if it were obvious. When you still didn’t immediately register, she continued; “There are entrance exams in two days. You kept up with us back there, and didn’t freeze up when the Hollow attacked you. You’d make a great Shinigami, and it would get you out of here for sure.”

The surprise was hard to hide – entrance examinations at the Shinigami Academy were fairly rare occurrences, and they were usually very big news. How you hadn’t heard of any of it was beyond you. “Really? That’s amazing! Thank you so much.”

She nodded, still looking a little down. “I wish we could find a real way to repay you, but with all of this commotion it won’t be safe for us to try to sneak back into Rukongai for a few days. Thank you for taking us to your house. You really don’t know how strict our house can be,” Yoruichi said, her eyes cast downward.

“Indeed. Such kindness is always a pleasure to see,” Kisuke said as he bowed his head.

“It’s no problem, really. You would have done the same thing if it were me,” You said, a bit shyly.

No one ever really said goodbye, but shortly after that the three of you looked around, everyone gave a final nod, and you went your separate ways, Kisuke and Yoruichi back toward the Seireitei and you toward your home. The hole in it was massive, but you weren’t that worried. Your “door” that actually belonged there didn’t even have the “door” part, so it wasn’t like you were any more likely to be mugged or surprised than before.

But as your head hit the pillow (and by pillow, you meant floor), you found yourself unable to sleep. The events of the past hour or so kept running through your head, and you couldn’t help but wonder on what Yoruichi had suggested. Could you really… do that? Could you really become a Shinigami? It seemed so simple, yet so insurmountably difficult. But at the same time you were able to realize that it was probably your only shot at escaping the Rukongai. And if you ever wanted to live the kind of life that those two did… the life of a noble family… you were going to have to work hard at it.

You had made up your mind. Tomorrow, you would…

**Search the Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 104**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 105**


	53. Chapter 53

You turned toward Yoruichi. As you did so, the sound of a loud, ominous roar filled the air behind you. You threw yourself forward, launching yourself entirely off your feet.. A loud smashing sound came from behind you, and it felt like the entire ground was beginning to shake, but Yoruichi hopped forward and caught you in her arms, steadying you with ease. You looked into her eyes for a moment, and she gave you a smile. Then, she was turning and pulling you after her with impressive speed.

You twisted down and alley, and there was Kisuke – and then all three of you were sprinting, hurtling through the streets as the sounds of the Hollow padding along behind you grew closer. You’d had a significant lead as it forced its body through the portal, but now you were quickly losing ground. Not that you dared to look… but the chill running down your spine, if it was any kind of indicator, was only growing stronger.

The chase continued for what felt like forever, but it must have only been a couple of minutes. Because even you were surprised when you heard the sounds of combat behind you.

“They’re here.” Kisuke said quietly.

“I know. We need to keep moving,” Lady Yoruichi replied. You looked back, and realized what they were talking about instantly. Because the Hollow that had been chasing you was now engaged in vicious combat with a Shinigami. It was too far away for you to see any details, but you knew that a Hollow in Soul Society was not taken lightly. If the problem wasn’t resolved momentarily, then the entire force of the Gotei 13 would bear down upon it.

“Keep running,” Kisuke said quietly. You were confused, but nodded. Even with the Shinigami there, you weren’t comfortable being anywhere near that thing.

The three of you continued on for almost another minute, until eventually you came to a stop. As you looked around, however, you realized that Yoruichi was suddenly missing.

“Over here!”

You didn’t get a moment to look at where the voice had come from, but instead both you and Kisuke were grabbed and yanked, rather violently, behind a house that you were standing near.

Yoruichi was the one who had pulled you into the empty house. The three of you stood there, for several moments, just staring at each other and panting heavily to regain your breaths. Then, and no one could quite be sure who started it, the three of you started laughing hysterically.

“We… we made it!” You half-shouted, exorbitant and completely full of disbelief.

“Of course we did! No Hollow could catch up with members of the Shihoin family,” Yoruichi declared proudly.

“Indeed… fortunate for us, though, that the Shinigami arrived,” Kisuke said with a smile. “I’m not certain how much longer our new friend could go on like that.”

“Hey… I was keeping up!” You replied, unable to really defend yourself. How you’d manage to stay in the same district as those two was beyond you. You were under the assumption they’d been slowing down quite a bit so that they could keep an eye out for you.

“Indeed he was, it was actually quite impressive.” Yoruichi said with that trademark playfulness in her voice. “But… we can’t spend any more time with you, I’m afraid. Rukongai will be going on lockdown shortly, and we have to be back to Seireitei before then.”

“Hey, anything’s better than staying out here with the Hollows, right?” Your voice was joking, but you couldn’t help but be jealous that they were getting to go back to such a safe and comfortable location. All you had was your house in the Rukongai – and now, that had a second door. And that was being optimistic about it.

Yoruichi very obviously did not miss that. “I know… I wish we could do something for you. I feel as if it might be our fault…” She trailed off, but you could see something in her eyes. You were about to ask why she would say that, when she cut you off.

“The Shinigami Academy!” She announced proudly, slamming a fist into an open palm. You stared at her quizzically for a moment, unsure of her meaning.

“Yes… the Academy, what about it?”

“You should enter!” She said, as if it were obvious. When you still didn’t immediately register, she continued; “There are entrance exams in two days. You kept up with us back there, and you were pretty brave too. You’d make a great Shinigami, and it would get you out of here for sure.”

The surprise was hard to hide – entrance examinations at the Shinigami Academy were fairly rare occurrences, and they were usually very big news. How you hadn’t heard of any of it was beyond you. “Really? That’s amazing! Thank you so much.”

She nodded, still looking a little down. “I wish we could find a real way to repay you, but with all of this commotion it won’t be safe for us to try to sneak back into Rukongai for a few days. Thank you for taking us to your house. You really don’t know how strict our house can be,” Yoruichi said, her eyes cast downward.

“Indeed. Such kindness is always a pleasure to see,” Kisuke said as he bowed his head.

“It’s no problem, really. You would have done the same thing if it were me,” You said, a bit shyly.

No one ever really said goodbye, but shortly after that the three of you looked around, everyone gave a final nod, and you went your separate ways, Kisuke and Yoruichi back toward the Seireitei and you toward your home. The hole in it was massive, but you weren’t that worried. Your “door” that actually belonged there didn’t even have the “door” part, so it wasn’t like you were any more likely to be mugged or surprised than before.

But as your head hit the pillow (and by pillow, you meant floor), you found yourself unable to sleep. The events of the past hour or so kept running through your head, and you couldn’t help but wonder on what Yoruichi had suggested. Could you really… do that? Could you really become a Shinigami? It seemed so simple, yet so insurmountably difficult. But at the same time you were able to realize that it was probably your only shot at escaping the Rukongai. And if you ever wanted to live the kind of life that those two did… the life of a noble family… you were going to have to work hard at it.

You had made up your mind. Tomorrow, you would…

**Search Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 106**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 107**


	54. Chapter 54

You were swimming in darkness. Your mind was half asleep, or so it seemed. You only vaguely understood where you were. You barely remembered who you were. And no matter what you tried, your body was not your own. You could not move when you wished, nor could you stop yourself from moving when you didn’t wish. Sometimes, the visions that you got were horrendous. Beasts, black as tar and in an endless wasteland, torn apart with claws that you didn’t recognize, but somehow knew were now your own. Sometimes you were the one being torn into. That was when the pain came; it was dulled, as if you were feeling the aches of an old wound, but it filled you with anger and rage.

But, by far, the worst part… were the voices.

They were always there. Some whispered in your ear. Some screamed. Sometimes you screamed back. It was like being surrounded twenty-four seven by dozens of faceless shadows. You didn’t need sleep, never felt a need, but at the same time you were tormented. You never had a moment alone, and just when you thought you had managed to shut them out, their noise would multiply. And they were always growing. Every day, it seemed, there were even more, sometimes only one or two, sometimes nearly a dozen or more. Each voice added to the noise, and made it harder to keep yourself sane. You began to feel as though you were losing yourself in the sea, as if the voices would overwhelm all other thought.

You were pushed to the breaking point, the limits of sanity, until you could take no more. You had long since lost track of days, lost track of who you used to be, or how you even came to this place. All you cared about in that one moment was shutting up the voices, making them go away, and for once in your life, being free of their dark whisperings.

“Get out… get out of my head… GO AWAAAAAAAAY!”

You stood and screamed, and slammed your hands to your head. Your body lit up like a furnace, filled with fiery pain that washed over you like a tidal wave. Your head felt as though it would split in half at any moment, and you were _certain_ that this pain would kill you.

But it never did. You were left alone at last. The pain receded, and with it went the voices. Your entire world seemed to come into focus for the first time. Your vision had returned, and with a shock, you realized that you had actually moved your hands to your head – you flexed your fingers to confirm it, but yes, it appeared that you were in control of your body.

You saw yourself for the first time then. Your altered body, partially deformed in places, was a shock to your eyes. You could scarcely remember what you looked like any more, not from your old life, but… this still felt wrong, somehow. Yet, natural.

You stood on two legs, with fairly normal body structure… save for the distinctly canine curvature to your legs. They ended in padded feet, overly large for an animal but just about right for a human…oid. A large hole in the center of your abdomen, nearly as wide as both of your fists, was a disturbing sight, but it brought you neither pain nor a feeling of emptiness. Your fingers were the most distinct feature of your arms, long black talons with no second knuckles and deadly sharp edges. And the most obvious feature… a white mask. You couldn’t see it, as the eye holes were quite wide, but you could feel it. At once it was both a part of your face and body, and something odd and foreign. Perhaps it was just a remnant of your older mind, telling you that the strange mask didn’t belong, but gently scraping a finger along the mask, you noted that you felt nothing. No nerves, no pain receptor endings… yet still, it felt connected. From the place where it met your forehead and chin to the tip of the lupine shaped muzzle. 

You went to your knees, suddenly. You found yourself in a vast and endless desert, with no one around for what appeared to be miles. Your memories of who you used to be were faded to almost nothing. You had vague impressions of a young boy, living in a run-down house, and of a strange purple-haired woman.

But the thoughts made your head hurt.

And for now, you were too focused on the hunger. The hole in your stomach may not have been such a metaphor after all. You craved… something. You didn’t know what. Flashes of your life before… memories of learning about what you were now. Like the hole in your abdomen, you were Hollow. You would fill that hole with souls.

And you would never stop wandering until you found them.

Humans… Hollows… Shinigami… all were food. But the Shinigami were beyond your reach, for now. You would have to hunt for other Hollows. Overpower and consume them. Or you could travel to the human world, prey upon the still living and the lost souls.

Your mind was already made up. You would-

**-Hunt: Go to Chapter 108**

**-Prey: Go to Chapter 109**


	55. Chapter 55

You approached the man, slowly at first. He must have seen your nervousness, because he looked at you and smiled as he bent down slightly, more to your level. “Come on, you’re safe now. No need to be shy.”

The idea of being shy actually hadn’t even crossed your mind. As much as you were frightened by the situation, if anything, you were more than happy to meet the Shinigami who had saved your life.

“Uh… thank you, sir?” You ended up sounding more like you were asking a question because of how uncertain you were of the proper way to address a Shinigami, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Captain, I-” A young woman appeared, directly beside the Shinigami, with no warning. She had two pigtails, wore pink-rimmed glasses and a somber expression, yet when she saw you she seemed caught off-guard.

“No need to worry, Lisa, I’ve already found him.” The – you now realized – Captain smiled at you as she cut herself off. “Looks like we managed to stop this one before he hurt anyone.”

“We didn’t do much for the house, though,” Lisa said with a quick retort, clearly able to overcome her surprise rather quickly.

“Yes, well… all part of the job, I suppose. Casualty of war.”

The grin on the Captain’s face had never once faded since he defeated the Hollow and somehow, it made his comment about the destruction of your house less depressing.

“Still, it looks like he really did a number on your house… ‘fraid you won’t be sleeping there, tonight,” he said, as if you’d planned to crawl underneath the rubble. “And we can’t just leave you here with no place to sleep. Do you have any family?”

You shook your head. “No, I lived alone. I’ll be fine, really, there are plenty of empty homes around here.”

“Well, you may have been squatting before, but I’m afraid I simply can’t allow that to continue. Afraid you’ll be coming with us.”

Your eyes widened. Did Shinigami really do this? Was he going to take you to a jail? Did they even have those in the Seireitei? You thought about running, but knew you wouldn’t be able to outpace someone who had taken down a Hollow with such ease. Your heart began to race, as-

“Woah, woah, easy there. I’m not taking you to be punished or anything. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind spending a few days in the eighth squad barracks while we find something a little more permanent for you."

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. You were… being invited to the Seireitei? It was a military barracks, of course, so it wasn’t exactly the life of luxury you always pictured people having up there, yet you weren’t quite certain that it wouldn’t be better than where you were now, either. At this point even a bed would be better than sleeping on the ground.

What did you do?

**Accept his offer: Go to Chapter 110**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 111**


	56. Chapter 56

You didn’t want to speak to this man; you were freaked out enough about the fact that you had nearly been devoured, but more importantly, you were a little frightened of how readily and without hesitation this man had cut down a Hollow. Not that much, but you also had to factor in the fact that you had no reason to stick around. After all, with your home gone, and no friends or family to speak of, you may as well head closer to Seireitei. At least those districts of the Rukongai might be a little bit less… dangerous.

You turned around and began to quickly head in the other direction, intent on putting some distance between yourself and this incident, and then getting to somewhere safe to spend the night. You knew of a reliably empty house that wasn’t in a ridiculously unsafe neighborhood, but it was several districts away. Still, your only other option was to stay out here on the streets, so…

The issue with your planning was, however, that you had failed to account for the Shinigami themselves.

As you ran, a woman suddenly appeared in front of you. From where, you weren’t certain – she moved faster than your eye could track. She was wearing a Shinigami uniform, however, so you had to assume that she had been following after the other man.

“You shouldn’t run from us,” she said softly, kneeling down on the ground and extending an arm toward you. “We’re Shinigami. We’re here to help and protect you.”

As much as you were inclined to believe that, you still weren’t that comfortable with the Shinigami. But before you could vocalize that, the Shinigami from before appeared just a few feet away and off to your side.

“She’s right you know. But you’re probably pretty scared, huh? First time seeing a Hollow?”

You nodded slightly. You wanted to get away, but there was very little that you could do – they could clearly outrun you without any effort at all. 

“Well, we got here before he could do much to you, but it looks like he’s just about wrecked that house of yours,” the man said, casting a quick glance back in the direction you’d been originally. You chose not to interject just how wrecked it had already been. “I don’t think it would be very nice of us to just leave you out here on the street, either…”

“Captain Kyoraku, you can’t mean…”

“Well, it’s not as if there’s a formal rule about who we allow in our barracks. You should know that, Lisa.”

You weren’t slow, and it didn’t take you long to figure out what they were talking about. But you’d already made up your mind, and you were getting away from them as fast as you could.

“I won’t have to sleep on the street… I have friends, in the next district.”

The man – Kyoraku – stared at you for a moment. He had a look in his eyes, as if he didn’t quite believe you, but he didn’t say anything for a while.

“Well, I suppose if you’ve got somewhere else to go we’re certainly not going to drag you along with us. Come on, Lisa, I think we both deserve a break after that.”

“Captain, I-“

Their voices were gone in a moment as they both disappeared, likely moving back toward Seireitei. You sighed, rather glad to be alone with your thoughts for a few moment. Your heart was only just beginning to calm down from this ordeal. And now you could focus on other things.

You still hadn’t made up your mind where you were going to sleep now that your home was destroyed. You had avoided sleeping there whenever possible, lately, but it was still a loss.

There were only two options that came to mind; you could find one of your old friends’ homes – one who had been gone for years, leaving a house you knew to be vacant these days. Unfortunately, that house was a couple hours away, and it was actually in another district of the Rukongai. A slightly seedier, less lawful district. Unfortunately, the only other option in the vicinity was… well, sleeping on the street. A less comfortable, if moderately safer option, as you would be sleeping on a well-populated street with many witnesses, at least.

Which option would you end up choosing, though?

**Head to the vacant house: Go to Chapter 112**

**Sleep on the streets: Go to Chapter 113**


	57. Chapter 57

You approached the man, slowly at first, putting yourself squarely between him and the woman who had grabbed you. He must have seen your nervousness, because he looked at you and smiled as he bent down slightly, more to your level. “Come on, you’re safe now. No need to be shy.”

The idea of being shy actually hadn’t even crossed your mind. As much as you were frightened by the situation, if anything, you were more than happy to meet the Shinigami who had saved your life. You looked back toward the woman who had picked you up and carried you away.

“Uh… thank you?” You ended up sounding more like you were asking a question because of how uncertain you were of the proper way to address a Shinigami, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m a Shinigami, protecting the citizens of Soul Society is part of my job. The Captain and I were just glad we could get here in time.” Though her demeanor was somewhat cold, she had a surprisingly soft tone to her voice, and her eyes showed the kindness that her face did not.

“Well, she’s not really a Shinigami. Not quite yet.” The – you now realized – Captain smiled at you as he cut her off. “But we’re still very glad we stopped this thing before it could hurt anyone.”

“We didn’t do much for the house, though,” Lisa said with a quick retort, clearly able to overcome her surprise rather quickly.

“Yes, well… all part of the job, I suppose. Casualty of war.”

The grin on the Captain’s face had never once faded since he defeated the Hollow and somehow, it made his comment about the destruction of your house less depressing.

“Still, it looks like he really did a number on your house… ‘fraid you won’t be sleeping there, tonight,” he said, as if you’d planned to crawl underneath the rubble. “And we can’t just leave you here with no place to sleep. Do you have any family?”

You shook your head. “No, I lived alone. I’ll be fine, really, there are plenty of empty homes around here.” Though that was a bit exaggerated, there were a few… if you were willing to walk far enough to get to them.

“Well, you may have been squatting before, but I’m afraid I simply can’t allow that to continue. Afraid you’ll be coming with us.”

Your eyes widened. Did Shinigami really do this? Was he going to take you to a jail? Did they even have those in the Seireitei? You thought about running, but knew you wouldn’t be able to outpace someone who had taken down a Hollow with such ease. Your heart began to race, as-

“Woah, woah, easy there. I’m not taking you to be punished or anything. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind spending a few days in the eighth squad barracks while we find something a little more permanent for you.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. You were… being invited to the Seireitei? It was a military barracks, of course, so it wasn’t exactly the life of luxury you always pictured people having up there, yet you weren’t quite certain that it wouldn’t be better than where you were now, either. At this point even a bed would be better than sleeping on the ground.

What did you do?

**Accept his offer: Go to Chapter 114**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 115**


	58. Chapter 58

You didn’t want to speak to this man, or the woman who had grabbed you; you were freaked out enough about the fact that you had nearly been devoured, but more importantly, you were a little frightened of how readily and without hesitation this man had cut down a Hollow. Not that much, but you also had to factor in the fact that you had no reason to stick around. After all, with your home gone, and no friends or family to speak of, you may as well head closer to Seireitei. At least those districts of the Rukongai might be a little bit less… dangerous.

You turned to a side alley and began to quickly head away from both of them, intent on putting some distance between yourself and this incident, and then getting to somewhere safe to spend the night. You knew of a reliably empty house that wasn’t in a ridiculously unsafe neighborhood, but it was several districts away. Still, your only other option was to stay out here on the streets, so…

The issue with your planning was, however, that you had failed to account for the Shinigami themselves.

As you ran, the woman suddenly appeared in front of you. From where, you weren’t certain – she moved faster than your eye could track. 

“You shouldn’t run from us,” she said softly, kneeling down on the ground and extending an arm toward you. “We’re Shinigami. We’re here to help and protect you.”

As much as you were inclined to believe that, you still weren’t that comfortable with the Shinigami. But before you could vocalize that, the Shinigami from before appeared just a few feet away and off to your side.

“She’s right you know. But you’re probably pretty scared, huh? First time seeing a Hollow?”

You nodded slightly. You wanted to get away, but there was very little that you could do – they could clearly outrun you without any effort at all. 

“Well, we got here before he could do much to you, but it looks like he’s just about wrecked that house of yours,” the man said, casting a quick glance back in the direction you’d been originally. You chose not to interject just how wrecked it had already been. “I don’t think it would be very nice of us to just leave you out here on the street, either…”

“Captain Kyoraku, you can’t mean…”

“Well, it’s not as if there’s a formal rule about who we allow in our barracks. You should know that, Lisa.”

You weren’t slow, and it didn’t take you long to figure out what they were talking about. But you’d already made up your mind, and you were getting away from them as fast as you could.

“I won’t have to sleep on the street… I have friends, in the next district.”

The man – Kyoraku – stared at you for a moment. He had a look in his eyes, as if he didn’t quite believe you, but he didn’t say anything for a while.

“Well, I suppose if you’ve got somewhere else to go we’re certainly not going to drag you along with us. Come on, Lisa, I think we both deserve a break after that.”

“Captain, I-“

Their voices were gone in a moment as they both disappeared, likely moving back toward Seireitei. You sighed, rather glad to be alone with your thoughts for a few moment. Your heart was only just beginning to calm down from this ordeal. And now you could focus on other things.

You still hadn’t made up your mind where you were going to sleep now that your home was destroyed. You had avoided sleeping there whenever possible, lately, but it was still a loss.

There were only two options that came to mind; you could find one of your old friends’ homes – one who had been gone for years, leaving a house you knew to be vacant these days. Unfortunately, that house was a couple hours away, and it was actually in another district of the Rukongai. A slightly seedier, less lawful district. Unfortunately, the only other option in the vicinity was… well, sleeping on the street. A less comfortable, if moderately safer option, as you would be sleeping on a well-populated street with many witnesses, at least.

Which option would you end up choosing, though?

**Head to the vacant house: Go to Chapter 116**

**Sleep on the streets: Go to Chapter 117**


	59. Chapter 59

You really wanted to be as far away from that Hollow as you could possibly be at that moment, but unfortunately you had too much of a conscience. Steeling your nerves as best as you could, you turned and began to sprint toward the sound of the scream.

What you found when you got there was, however, not exactly the damsel in distress you had expected.

“Get… the hell… AWAY FROM ME!”

An extremely young-looking, blonde-haired woman was absolutely wailing on one of the Hollows. It was actually quite impressive; she had wedged herself in between two of the buildings and was currently battering the Hollow’s hand with a large chunk of wood she must have pulled from some dilapidated structure. The tiny alley was too narrow for the Hollow to get its arm in, and so instead it was working on slowly demolishing the buildings around her. Unfortunately, it looked like some of the rubble had blocked off the girl’s escape route, and she was now stuck trying to hold off the Hollow.

Once again, the thought of running did fill your head, however you couldn’t possibly do so now. It was only fear that spoke, and for better or for worse the guilt that you’d feel at turning now was an even greater motivator. You steeled your nerves and leapt into action.

You moved around to the backside of a nearby building with a stack of crates set up next to an abandoned storefront. The owner was probably inside, but it didn’t matter; for once in your life you weren’t stealing from this place. You clambered onto the stack of boxes and then made a leap for the roof, catching the top and pulling yourself up after a lot of effort. Panting, you looked ahead to where a cloud of dust was building up – the houses that were keeping the girl from being devoured were quickly dissipating.

 _”Gotta make this count…”_ With a running start, you threw yourself across the gap between rooftops, landing on one of the buildings that the Hollow was tearing into. Knowing it would soon know you were there, even if it was distracted, you managed to get your feet under you and rush to the other side as quickly as you could.

The girl didn’t notice you at first, but as you cried out to her, she glanced up. Her eyes widened in shock, but as you extended your arm she seemed to get the point.

Unfortunately, so did the Hollow.

You threw yourself backwards as she gripped your hand, putting all of your might into lifting her up and onto the roof. Just as her feet were clearing the rim of the edge, the Hollow’s forearm smashed into the building you were standing on. The building shook, and one of the walls began to collapse, sending the two of you tumbling toward the Hollow.

This time it was the girl who managed to save you, though it might have been more of an accident. Her arm slammed into you as she fell off balance on the tilting roof, and the two of you changed direction at the last moment, crashing onto the ground off to the side of the Hollow, just free of the collapsing rubble.

You threw one glance at the Hollow and saw that its arm was trapped under the building – but you knew that wouldn’t last long. You gripped the girl’s arm before she had a chance to object and pulled her along with you as you ran.

“Come on, let’s get the hell out of here!”

~~~~~  
You weren’t entirely sure when you stopped running, but you were fairly certain that you had wound up in an entirely different Rukongai district. As the two of you stood there, panting like crazy, the only comfort to the situation was that you hadn’t seen any sign of the Hollow for several blocks. In fact, the last thing you’d even noticed of it was the scream it had let out when you two were nearly out of earshot.

“Do you… think it might still be coming this way?” You said between breaths.

“Tch… as if, dumbass! The Shinigami wouldn’t let it live for that long, it should already be dead.”

Well, not the… grateful response you were expecting from someone you’d risked your life for. And her eyes weren’t showing much appreciation either. 

“I did just save your life. I’m not going to ask you to thank me, but you could at least be a little nicer, considering.”

She scoffed and glanced away. “Last I checked, I was doing fine without you.”

You rolled your eyes. Whatever, at least your conscience was appeased, and you could leave her without feeling guilty. Besides, you had to worry about getting home; right now, you were…

Actually, looking around you weren’t quite sure where you were. And to complicate things further, you actually didn’t know which way your house was at all, even the vaguest sense of direction. This part of the Rukongai was completely unfamiliar.

“Whatever… I need to get going, anyway. I just hope that Hollow didn’t trash my house while it was rampaging.”

You had just taken the first couple of steps as you said those words when the girl’s voice stopped you. She must have sensed your unease and disorientation, because her words shocked you after her earlier comments.

“Hey… my name is Hiyori. Hiyori Sarugaki. We’re almost three districts over from where we were before, and the sun’s already setting. I know a big empty house a few blocks over from here. You can crash there if you want, for _one_ night.”

You looked back at her, rather surprised and uncertain of how best to answer. In the end, you decided…

**  
…to stay with her for the night: Go to Chapter 118**

**…to head back to your house: Go to Chapter 119  
**


	60. Chapter 60

You really didn’t have much of an option. There was nothing you could do against a Hollow anyway, and in all likelihood your presence would just get you killed as well as whoever else was in danger. Best to leave it to the Shinigami, who were literally trained for exactly this kind of thing.

That left you to turn back towards your home. You had to walk for several minutes, but eventually you were able to recognize a neighborhood and point yourself in the right direction. The cries had died out by that point, and you were certain you’d heard the sounds of real combat at least once. The Hollow had been dealt with, one way or another, and for that you were thankful. Perhaps you could still get some sleep tonight.

On your way back, while still trudging through a part of town you rarely visited, something curious happened. In the dead of night, the sound of a single piece of paper blowing in the very light breeze that had stirred caught your attention. You wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but you were so hyper aware from the dying adrenaline rush that your eyes instantly focused on it. You glanced at the sheet as it blew right over your feet and nearly escaped, until you stomped down with your raised left foot and caught it.

Examining the paper a little more closely, you immediately read the words on the page and felt your mouth hang open in shock. The paper was a poster – an advertisement for the Shinigami Academy. They were extending an open invitation to all members of the Rukongai and Seireitei to apply, and maybe, just maybe, get in. And it was only two days away.

You trudged back to your house in a daze, having realized at once you had to take this chance. You’d always had dreams of becoming a Shinigami, of living a great life of power and fame, or even just an average life where you had a dependable meal every day and a roof over your head. But today had driven the point home – you couldn’t stay out here in the Rukongai. Without friends or family, most young citizens didn’t last as long as you had. And it seemed obvious you wouldn’t last forever.

But with only two days to go, that left you all of one day to prepare yourself. You’d barely eaten, your clothes were hardly in fine order and likely smelled, and you weren’t really all that powerful to begin with. They said that you didn’t have to have much power to apply and get in, but that didn’t instill much confidence in you. The closest you had ever come to combat training was dodging the blows of an angry shopkeeper when they caught you before you made a getaway.

You were going to apply, but you would need to prepare yourself. You could gather information, see what you could learn about the process and hopefully while you were at it get some new clothes and a meal in you. But you also needed to train. If they just accepted every punk off the street there was a good chance everyone in Rukongai would’ve already become a Shinigami, and as it was, you were little more than an average punk.

You reached your home, and slowly crawled toward the corner you called a bed, as insufficient as it was. You curled up into as warm of a ball as you could and finally finished mulling over your options.

You had made up your mind. Tomorrow morning, you would…

**Search Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 120**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 121**


	61. Chapter 61

You were swimming in darkness. Your mind was half asleep, or so it seemed. You only vaguely understood where you were. You barely remembered who you were. And no matter what you tried, your body was not your own. You could not move when you wished, nor could you stop yourself from moving when you didn’t wish. Sometimes, the visions that you got were horrendous. Beasts, black as tar and in an endless wasteland, torn apart with claws that you didn’t recognize, but somehow knew were now your own. Sometimes you were the one being torn into. That was when the pain came; it was dulled, as if you were feeling the aches of an old wound, but it filled you with anger and rage.

But, by far, the worst part… were the voices.

They were always there. Some whispered in your ear. Some screamed. Sometimes you screamed back. It was like being surrounded twenty-four seven by dozens of faceless shadows. You didn’t need sleep, never felt a need, but at the same time you were tormented. You never had a moment alone, and just when you thought you had managed to shut them out, their noise would multiply. And they were always growing. Every day, it seemed, there were even more, sometimes only one or two, sometimes nearly a dozen or more. Each voice added to the noise, and made it harder to keep yourself sane. You began to feel as though you were losing yourself in the sea, as if the voices would overwhelm all other thought.

You were pushed to the breaking point, the limits of sanity, until you could take no more. You had long since lost track of days, lost track of who you used to be, or how you even came to this place. All you cared about in that one moment was shutting up the voices, making them go away, and for once in your life, being free of their dark whisperings.

“Get out… get out of my head… GO AWAAAAAAAAY!”

You stood and screamed, and slammed your hands to your head. Your body lit up like a furnace, filled with fiery pain that washed over you like a tidal wave. Your head felt as though it would split in half at any moment, and you were _certain_ that this pain would kill you.

But it never did. You were left alone at last. The pain receded, and with it went the voices. Your entire world seemed to come into focus for the first time. Your vision had returned, and with a shock, you realized that you had actually moved your hands to your head – you flexed your fingers to confirm it, but yes, it appeared that you were in control of your body.

You saw yourself for the first time then. Your altered body, partially deformed in places, was a shock to your eyes. You could scarcely remember what you looked like any more, not from your old life, but… this still felt wrong, somehow. Yet, natural.

You stood on two legs, with fairly normal body structure… save for the distinctly canine curvature to your legs. They ended in padded feet, overly large for an animal but just about right for a human…oid. A large hole in the center of your abdomen, nearly as wide as both of your fists, was a disturbing sight, but it brought you neither pain nor a feeling of emptiness. Your fingers were the most distinct feature of your arms, long black talons with no second knuckles and deadly sharp edges. And the most obvious feature… a white mask. You couldn’t see it, as the eye holes were quite wide, but you could feel it. At once it was both a part of your face and body, and something odd and foreign. Perhaps it was just a remnant of your older mind, telling you that the strange mask didn’t belong, but gently scraping a finger along the mask, you noted that you felt nothing. No nerves, no pain receptor endings… yet still, it felt connected. From the place where it met your forehead and chin to the tip of the lupine shaped muzzle. 

You went to your knees, suddenly. You found yourself in a vast and endless desert, with no one around for what appeared to be miles. Your memories of who you used to be were faded to almost nothing. You had vague impressions of a young boy, living in a run-down house, and of a strange purple-haired woman.

But the thoughts made your head hurt.

And for now, you were too focused on the hunger. The hole in your stomach may not have been such a metaphor after all. You craved… something. You didn’t know what. Flashes of your life before… memories of learning about what you were now. Like the hole in your abdomen, you were Hollow. You would fill that hole with souls.

And you would never stop wandering until you found them.

Humans… Hollows… Shinigami… all were food. But the Shinigami were beyond your reach, for now. You would have to hunt for other Hollows. Overpower and consume them. Or you could travel to the human world, prey upon the still living.

Your mind was already made up. You would-

**-Hunt: Go to Chapter 122**

**-Prey: Go to Chapter 123**


	62. Chapter 62

“You know… I hope I can get in on my own,” You began, and at first saw the looks of disappointment on their face. “But I’m definitely not going to turn down help. I’ll be back, first thing in the morning.”

“Sounds perfect,” Gin said with that same odd smile.

“It’ll be nice to have a change, keeps you from getting in a rut,” Rangiku added with a smile.

You three didn’t exactly say your goodbyes, but you did eventually decide to part ways for the night after a few more minutes of quiet conversation. And more importantly, you had decided on your course. To become a Shinigami, and enter the Seireitei at last, and have the life you had always dreamed of. Plus… with the aid of those two, you had a feeling that you just might make it in.

You were so caught up in going over the day’s events that you barely noticed where you were until your home was in sight, a few yards away, looking as worn down as ever. Knowing that this might be one of the last days you’d ever set foot in it gave it a nostalgic feeling despite the otherwise grim exterior, though. It put a smile on your face as you laid down for what you hoped was a good night’s sleep… there was a good chance you were going to need it come tomorrow.

~~~~

As your eyes cracked open, the sun was just barely rising in the distance. It was late morning, but not overly late, and you were easily going to be able to make it to Gin and Rangiku’s place again before they would start training. Hopefully, anyway. From what little you knew of Gin, he might have been up since before the sun even went down.

With nothing to pack and little else to do, you stood and started off into the streets. You took the most direct route you could, but as you had only been there once you found yourself wandering a bit from alley to alley. It was during one of these side trips that you spotted a familiar face – in fact, one of the two you had been expecting to see, just not quite this soon.

The orange hair had given it away almost immediately. Rangiku was picking out several pieces of fruit and to your great surprise, even seemed to be paying for them. Where she and Gin would have the money for that, you weren’t certain. In fact, when you ran into Gin the other day he had been carrying an entire load of persimmons and yet hadn’t been running away from anyone angry, nor had he even been slightly fearful when he ran into someone else. Why he would have money and yet be living in such a poor district of the Rukongai… and where he had gotten it from…

You shook your head to clear away the thoughts. You wouldn’t find answers from anyone but Gin himself, you expected, and that seemed unlikely at the moment. You debated approaching Rangiku, but on the other hand, you weren’t exactly sure what you had to say to her, and you were fairly certain her and Gin were dwelling not far from here. Then again, if Gin was there, you weren’t sure if you wanted to be stuck alone with him for a while.

**Say hello to Rangiku: Go to Chapter 124**

**Continue on to the house: Go to Chapter 125**


	63. Chapter 63

“Sorry, but I think I need to do this on my own.” Your resolve was firm. And to be honest, you weren’t sure how much you trusted these two. You’d only just met them, and Gin’s demeanor was… less than endearing, despite that ever-present smile. 

“Well, your funeral,” Gin said. He did seem a little disappointed, but there was also a hint of humor and… maybe respect in what his tone said. Still, both he and Rangiku’s mood seemed to drop considerably at the news.

While nobody was exactly talkative after that, goodbyes were quickly said, and you found yourself walking back to your small house at a fast pace. The sun was setting off in the distance, and the cool relief of night was just beginning to seep over the still-overheated Rukongai.

You reached your home, and slowly crawled toward the corner you called a bed, as insufficient as it was. You curled up into as warm of a ball as you could, hoping that the cold night would not awaken you with its irony and finally finished mulling over your options.

You had made up your mind. Tomorrow morning, you would…

**Search Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 126**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 127**


	64. Chapter 64

“You know… I hope I can get in on my own,” You began, and at first saw the looks of disappointment on their face. “But I’m definitely not going to turn down help. I’ll be back, first thing in the morning.”

“Sounds perfect,” Gin said with that same odd smile, “I look forward to seeing what other surprises you have in store.”

“It’ll be nice to have a change, keeps you from getting in a rut,” Rangiku added with a smile.

You three didn’t exactly say your goodbyes, but you did eventually decide to part ways for the night after a few more minutes of quiet conversation. And more importantly, you had decided on your course. To become a Shinigami, and enter the Seireitei at last, and have the life you had always dreamed of. Plus… with the aid of those two, you had a feeling that you just might make it in.

You were so caught up in going over the day’s events that you barely noticed where you were until your home was in sight, a few yards away, looking as worn down as ever. Knowing that this might be one of the last days you’d ever set foot in it gave it a nostalgic feeling despite the otherwise grim exterior, though. It put a smile on your face as you laid down for what you hoped was a good night’s sleep… there was a good chance you were going to need it come tomorrow.

~~~~

As your eyes cracked open, the sun was just barely rising in the distance. It was late morning, but not overly late, and you were easily going to be able to make it to Gin and Rangiku’s place again before they would start training. Hopefully, anyway. From what little you knew of Gin, he might have been up since before the sun even came up.

With nothing to pack and little else to do, you stood and started off into the streets. You took the most direct route you could, but as you had only been there once you found yourself wandering a bit from alley to alley. It was during one of these side trips that you spotted a familiar face – in fact, one of the two you had been expecting to see, just not quite this soon.

The orange hair had given it away almost immediately. Rangiku was picking out several pieces of fruit and to your great surprise, even seemed to be paying for them. Where she and Gin would have the money for that, you weren’t certain. In fact, when you ran into Gin the other day he had been carrying an entire load of persimmons and yet hadn’t been running away from anyone angry, nor had he even been slightly fearful when he ran into someone else. Why he would have money and yet be living in such a poor district of the Rukongai, and where he had gotten it from both concerned you. But he had been kind, for the most part, if a little mysterious. You couldn’t think he had done anything too terrible.

You shook your head to clear away the thoughts. You wouldn’t find answers from anyone but Gin himself, you expected, and that seemed unlikely at the moment. You debated approaching Rangiku, but on the other hand, you weren’t exactly sure what you might say to her, and you were fairly certain her and Gin were dwelling not far from here. Then again, if Gin was there, you might just get another chance to spar him, and with someone that seemed as skilled as him, you were quite sure you’d get a benefit from every moment of practice.

**Say hello to Rangiku: Go to Chapter 128**

**Continue on to the house: Go to Chapter 129**


	65. Chapter 65

“Sorry, but I think I need to do this on my own.” Your resolve was firm. And to be honest, you weren’t sure how much you trusted these two. You’d only just met them, and Gin’s demeanor was… less than endearing, despite that ever-present smile. 

“Well, your funeral. I’ll keep an eye out for you at the Academy.” Gin said. He did seem a little disappointed, but there was also a hint of humor and… maybe respect in what his tone said. But… did you spy a glint in his eye? And the way he said he’d be watching out for you at the Academy made you think he wasn’t entirely sad. Still, both he and Rangiku’s mood seemed to drop considerably at the news.

While nobody was exactly talkative after that, goodbyes were quickly said, and you found yourself walking back to your small house at a fast pace. The sun was setting off in the distance, and the cool relief of night was just beginning to seep over the still-overheated Rukongai.

You reached your home, and slowly crawled toward the corner you called a bed, as insufficient as it was. You curled up into as warm of a ball as you could, hoping that the cold night would not awaken you with its irony and finally finished mulling over your options.

You had made up your mind. Tomorrow morning, you would…

**Search Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 130**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 131**


	66. Chapter 66

“Sure, it’s always nice to have company. I appreciate it.”

“No need to thank me. I’d hope anyone would do the same for me,” She said with a small smile.

“Good luck with that. I’ll be enjoying an early night’s rest,” Gin called out as you both walked out the door.

“Hope it helps, wouldn’t want to embarrass you tomorrow,” Rangiku replied with a short giggle. The two of you were walking quickly away, and within moments you were well out of earshot. The silence hung for several seconds before she finally broke it.

“He’s such a bad liar.”

You raised an eyebrow at her, quite surprised by that. “I don’t know about that, he’s got a perfect poker face.”

“Not quite. He seems a little… unusual at first, but he’s pretty easy to read if you get to know him. He’ll be sitting there awake until I get back.” Her confidence actually made you think there might be more to this boy than you had learned so far. Perhaps tomorrow you would get a chance to find out a bit more.

“Well, I’ll have to take your word for it. Maybe I can figure it out some day, like you,” you laughed a little as the two of you continued on. You were starting to readily recognize buildings, and you could’ve easily found your way home at this point, but you were enjoying having someone with you, someone who not only kept the thieves away, but was genuinely kind as well. That was, sadly, quite rare these days.

“I don’t know about that,” Rangiku laughed, sticking her tongue out at you, “reading him may not be hard, but getting to know him sure is! He’s pretty secretive with most people.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t have to tell me twice…”

The conversation kept going, but started to shift more toward your own pasts. You didn’t have much of a chance to learn anything, though – as soon as you started to get into how she met Gin, you found yourself at your home.

“Well, this is my stop,” you emphasized by planting a firm hand on the doorway, “I’d offer to walk _you_ home, but then we’d be right back where we started.”

She snickered. “Don’t worry, I know my neighborhood a lot better than you do. Just keep safe.”

You nodded, and she started backing away while turning. “You too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early,” She called back.

You waited until she was around a corner before you finally headed inside, moving over to what barely passed as a bed. Your thoughts were of the Academy, and your potential future, as well as your new friends, not your ramshackle house. Knowing that this might be one of the last days you’d ever set foot in it gave it a nostalgic feeling despite the otherwise grim exterior, though. It put a smile on your face as you laid down for what you hoped was a good night’s sleep… there was a good chance you were going to need it come tomorrow.

~~~~

As your eyes cracked open, the sun was just barely rising in the distance. It was late morning, but not overly late, and you were easily going to be able to make it to Gin and Rangiku’s place again before they would start training. Hopefully, anyway. From what little you knew of Gin, he might have been up since before the sun even came up.

With nothing to pack and little else to do, you stood and started off into the streets. You took the most direct route you could, but as you had only been there once you found yourself wandering a bit from alley to alley. It was during one of these side trips that you spotted a familiar face – in fact, one of the two you had been expecting to see, just not quite this soon.

The orange hair had given it away almost immediately. Rangiku was picking out several pieces of fruit and to your great surprise, even seemed to be paying for them. Where she and Gin would have the money for that, you weren’t certain. In fact, when you ran into Gin the other day he had been carrying an entire load of persimmons and yet hadn’t been running away from anyone angry, nor had he even been slightly fearful when he ran into someone else. Why he would have money and yet be living in such a poor district of the Rukongai, and where he had gotten it from both concerned you. But he had been kind, for the most part, if a little mysterious. You couldn’t think he had done anything too terrible.

You shook your head to clear away the thoughts. You wouldn’t find answers from anyone but Gin himself, you expected, and that seemed unlikely at the moment. You debated approaching Rangiku, but on the other hand, you weren’t exactly sure what you might say to her, and you were fairly certain her and Gin were dwelling not far from here. Still, it could be fun to return the favor she’d given you last night and walk her home this time.

You also didn’t see much of a point heading to her house if not everyone was there. Then again, if Gin was there, you might just get another chance to spar him, and with someone that seemed as skilled as him, you were quite sure you’d get a benefit from every moment of practice.

**Say hello to Rangiku: Go to Chapter 132**

**Continue on to the house: Go to Chapter 133**


	67. Chapter 67

“No thanks. I’ve been dealing with the Rukongai for years, I can handle one more walk,” you said with a small smirk. “

“Well… be careful anyway,” Rangiku said.

“Or don’t. Maybe you’ll get in a fight and get even stronger,” Gin said with a smirk.

You all shared a laugh, then turned to go your respective ways. You found yourself wandering home, not thinking about much, but wondering what tomorrow might hold for you. Being with these two certainly promised to be… interested, that much was clear. You pondered over all the Shinigami you had seen, noting sadly that you could easily count their numbers on two hands. But you remembered each one vividly, and you tried to make yourself adapt to them. To learn from them, and figure out the moves that they had used in front of you, if any at all. Not that it was much help. You were inclined to think that this was a little like a monkey trying to learn how to wield a sword. You could get the concept, but until you had someone teach you, you doubted you’d ever grasp the real meaning behind movements.

You reached your home, and slowly crawled toward the corner you called a bed, as insufficient as it was. You curled up into as warm of a ball as you could and finally finished your fading recollections.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

~~~~

As your eyes cracked open, the sun was just barely rising in the distance. It was late morning, but not overly late, and you were easily going to be able to make it to Gin and Rangiku’s place again before they would start training. Hopefully, anyway. From what little you knew of Gin, he might have been up since before the sun even came up.

With nothing to pack and little else to do, you stood and started off into the streets. You took the most direct route you could, but as you had only been there once you found yourself wandering a bit from alley to alley. It was during one of these side trips that you spotted a familiar face – in fact, one of the two you had been expecting to see, just not quite this soon.

The orange hair had given it away almost immediately. Rangiku was picking out several pieces of fruit and to your great surprise, even seemed to be paying for them. Where she and Gin would have the money for that, you weren’t certain. In fact, when you ran into Gin the other day he had been carrying an entire load of persimmons and yet hadn’t been running away from anyone angry, nor had he even been slightly fearful when he ran into someone else. Why he would have money and yet be living in such a poor district of the Rukongai, and where he had gotten it from both concerned you. But he had been kind, for the most part, if a little mysterious. You couldn’t think he had done anything too terrible.

You shook your head to clear away the thoughts. You wouldn’t find answers from anyone but Gin himself, you expected, and that seemed unlikely at the moment. You debated approaching Rangiku, but on the other hand, you weren’t exactly sure what you might say to her, and you were fairly certain her and Gin were dwelling not far from here. Still, it could be fun to return the favor she’d given you last night and walk her home this time.

You also didn’t see much of a point heading to her house if not everyone was there. Then again, if Gin was there, you might just get another chance to spar him, and with someone that seemed as skilled as him, you were quite sure you’d get a benefit from every moment of practice.

**Say hello to Rangiku: Go to Chapter 134**

**Continue on to the house: Go to Chapter 135**


	68. Chapter 68

“Sure, it’s always nice to have company. I appreciate it.”

“No need to thank me. I’d hope anyone would do the same for me,” She said with a small smile.

“Good luck with that. I’ll be enjoying an early night’s rest,” Gin called out as you both walked out the door.

“Hope it helps, wouldn’t want me to embarrass you tomorrow,” Rangiku replied with a short giggle. The two of you were walking quickly away, and within moments you were well out of earshot. The silence hung for several seconds before she finally broke it.

“He’s such a bad liar.”

You raised an eyebrow at her, quite surprised by that. “I don’t know about that, he’s got a perfect poker face.”

“Not quite. He seems a little… unusual at first, but he’s pretty easy to read if you get to know him. He’ll be sitting there awake until I get back.” Her confidence actually made you think there might be more to this boy than you had learned so far.

“Well, I’ll have to take your word for it. Maybe I’ll get a chance to figure it out at the Academy,” you laughed a little as the two of you continued on. You were starting to readily recognize buildings, and you could’ve easily found your way home at this point, but you were enjoying having someone with you, someone who not only kept the thieves away, but was genuinely kind as well. That was, sadly, quite rare these days.

“I don’t know about that,” Rangiku laughed, sticking her tongue out at you, “reading him may not be hard, but getting to know him sure is! He’s pretty secretive with most people.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t have to tell me twice…”

The conversation kept going, but started to shift more toward your own pasts. You didn’t have much of a chance to learn anything, though – as soon as you started to get into how she met Gin, you found yourself at your home.

“Well, this is my stop,” you emphasized by planting a firm hand on the doorway, “I’d offer to walk _you_ home, but then we’d be right back where we started.”

She snickered. “Don’t worry, I know my neighborhood a lot better than you do. Just keep safe.”

You nodded, and she started backing away while turning. “You too. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Academy.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she called back.

You waited until she was around a corner before you finally headed inside, moving over to what barely passed as a bed. Your thoughts were of the Academy, and your potential future, as well as your new friends, not your ramshackle house. Knowing that this might be one of the last days you’d ever set foot in it gave it a nostalgic feeling despite the otherwise grim exterior, though. It put a smile on your face as you laid down for what you hoped was a good night’s sleep… there was a good chance you were going to need it come tomorrow.

~~~~

As you awoke the next morning, your mind was clear and your goals were at the front of your thoughts. You needed to figure out a way to get stronger, smarter, or… well, more impressive. You hesitated to guess at how many others there might be out there, people who were mostly runts like you, survivors from the corners of the Rukongai looking for a way out of their hellish life and seeking to use the Shinigami Academy to do it. 

Kids like you were a dime a dozen; you needed to stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, you knew that there would always be the geniuses and the gifted, those who by their own efforts or sheer dumb luck were already ahead of the crowd. If you were lucky, there might not be enough of those kids to take up all the open spots. If you were unlucky, well… you would have to make yourself better than them by enough to earn your way in.

The question was, how would you do it? You could hope to gain entrance through strength, improve your overall abilities. There were many who said that the quickest way to get in was to have an impressive Reiatsu, though you had no way of knowing if a brief preparation was enough to make it grand enough to get in, or more importantly, what yours was like now. The way you’d been half-starved and driven to the brink for most of your life in the Rukongai, you weren’t sure it was even above par.

Of course, you could always try to get an advantage over the other students. Some people tried to get into the Academy two, even three times, you’d heard. And many of them eventually succeeded, if they lived long enough to keep trying. Perhaps gathering knowledge from one of those who had failed would let you know what was coming and so prepare yourself for it in that manner. Hell, if you could pull it off and look smooth doing it, they might even think you were a prodigy for doing it on your first try.

You made up your mind after only a few minutes of mental debate. You knew that you would...

**Search the Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 136**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 137**


	69. Chapter 69

“No thanks. I’ve been dealing with the Rukongai for years, I can handle one more walk,” you said with a small smirk. “

“Very independent indeed.”

“Well… be careful anyway,” Rangiku said.

“Or don’t. Maybe you’ll get in a fight and get even stronger,” Gin said with a smirk.

You all shared a laugh, then turned to go your respective ways. You found yourself wandering home, not thinking about much, but wondering what you would do tomorrow. You pondered over all the Shinigami you had seen, noting sadly that you could easily count their numbers on two hands. But you remembered each one vividly, and you tried to make yourself adapt to them. To learn from them, and figure out the moves that they had used in front of you, if any at all. Not that it was much help. You were inclined to think that this was a little like a monkey trying to learn how to wield a sword by itself. You could get the concept, but until you had someone teach you, you doubted you’d ever look like anything more than an idiot swinging a blade around mindlessly.

You reached your home, and slowly crawled toward the corner you called a bed, as insufficient as it was. You curled up into as warm of a ball as you could and finally finished your fading recollections.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

~~~~

As you awoke the next morning, your mind was clear and your goals were at the front of your thoughts. You needed to figure out a way to get stronger, smarter, or… well, more impressive. You hesitated to guess at how many others there might be out there, people who were mostly runts like you, survivors from the corners of the Rukongai looking for a way out of their hellish life and seeking to use the Shinigami Academy to do it. 

Kids like you were a dime a dozen; you needed to stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, you knew that there would always be the geniuses and the gifted, those who by their own efforts or sheer dumb luck were already ahead of the crowd. If you were lucky, there might not be enough of those kids to take up all the open spots. If you were unlucky, well… you would have to make yourself better than them by enough to earn your way in.

The question was, how would you do it? You could hope to gain entrance through strength, improve your overall abilities. There were many who said that the quickest way to get in was to have an impressive Reiatsu, though you had no way of knowing if a brief preparation was enough to make it grand enough to get in, or more importantly, what yours was like now. The way you’d been half-starved and driven to the brink for most of your life in the Rukongai, you weren’t sure it was even above par.

Of course, you could always try to get an advantage over the other students. Some people tried to get into the Academy two, even three times, you’d heard. And many of them eventually succeeded, if they lived long enough to keep trying. Perhaps gathering knowledge from one of those who had failed would let you know what was coming and so prepare yourself for it in that manner. Hell, if you could pull it off and look smooth doing it, they might even think you were a prodigy for doing it on your first try.

You made up your mind after only a few minutes of mental debate. You knew that you would...

**Search the Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 138**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 139**


	70. Chapter 70

“Train me?”

“Of course, how can you expect to become a Shinigami if you don’t train for your entrance exam tomorrow?” The smile the man had seemed genuine, and that was probably the only reason that you continued to believe that any of this was really happening to you. Both he and the woman stood up, and you rose to join them. “By the way, my name is Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. You can call me Shunsui, just don’t let Nanao hear you,” he added a little wink to the end of his sentence, and you weren’t sure if he was serious or not.

“I’ll be taking my leave. Be certain to call me, if there are any complications.”

The words of the woman seemed well, but… something about her tone set you off. You didn’t get much of a chance to question it, though, because she was out in the hallway the moment after that. The Captain in the pink sash was pushing you out the door as well, off through the halls.

You were surprised to find that nothing in your chest really hurt beyond a dull sting. The pain that had filled your chest the other day had been nearly unbearable, and forced you to an absolute standstill – followed immediately by passing out for nearly twenty four hours, apparently. Whoever that woman was, whatever she had done for you, it seemed like she was a very capable healer.

You both entered an open area, where a woman was waiting. She was standing at the edge, holding two wooden swords. You saw that she wore glasses, and had one long bang framing the right side of her face. She immediately turned and bowed as the Captain approached.

“Captain.”

The word was simple but held an irreverent tone of respect, and the Captain returned it with a slight nod.

“This is Nanao Ise. She’s one of our recruits as well; she’s been with the division since she was a young girl, but she’s never formally attended the Academy. Since she’ll be attending the Academy at the same time you are, I thought it would be nice for you two to get to know each other with a friendly little training session.”

“Yes, Captain,” Nanao said. Although her voice was still respectful, it seemed as if by her tone she was not a particular fan of his. Or… maybe yours?

“I’ll leave you both to it, then.”

Still smiling, the Captain started walking away from you. You turned to her and offered an outstretched hand awkwardly, sensing it would be best to get on the good side of the person who would be making you strong enough to get into the Academy.

She stared at the hand but did not approach you to take it. Instead, she reached down to the pair of wooden swords she’d had ready and tossed one of them to you. You caught it, clumsily, but she barely gave you a chance to adjust your grip before she was instructing you.

“This is the proper stance to hold a sword in for a trainee. Learn it and use it well, or they will beat it into you at the Academy. If you make it in.”

The movements she began to show you were cold and fluid and, while you were grateful that she wasn’t actually using the blade and striking at you with it, some part of you almost wished she would. The cold, calculated eyes that she bore into you rarely softened and almost never showed hints of kindness. She simply moved you through strike after block after parry, schooling you in the fundamentals of swordsmanship.

You were so busy focusing on trying to tune out her anger and absorb what she was actually teaching you that you barely noticed when she finally sheathed her blade.

“That isn’t much, but it’s all that we have time for. The Captain is on his way back, and it should be enough to show them that you’re serious and that you tried to learn before joining. You’d be surprised how observant they are.”

“Do you… do you think I have a shot?”

Nanao flashed a strange look at you, one you weren’t sure you understood. It wasn’t emotionlessly hard, though, and that was enough for you, at least for the moment.

“…I think you’ll be fine, as long as you do your best and strive to be a true Shinigami.”

“I always wanted to be a Shinigami.”

She stopped, having turned around to make her way out, and gave you a sidelong glance.

“Everyone in the Rukongai did,” you amended as if suddenly ashamed. “Shinigami are like heroes. They just… always seemed so strong. So helpful. I just… I guess I wanted to thank you, for helping me out like that.”

“I… There’s no need to thank me,” Nanao said. For a moment you thought she turned red, but you didn’t look long enough to tell. She bustled off down the hallway, calling after you without looking back.

“The Captain is going to meet with me as soon as he returns. You can wait in your room, or come with me.”

You hesitated, thinking for a moment.

**Go to your room: Go to Chapter 140**

**Follow Nanao: Go to Chapter 141**


	71. Chapter 71

“A… tour, sir?” You echoed quietly.

“Of course! Just because you’re entering the Academy tomorrow doesn’t mean that we can’t show you around tonight! By the way, my name is Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. You can call me Shunsui, just don’t let Nanao hear you,” he added with a wink. You couldn’t tell whether he was serious or not.

“You’re very confident I’ll get in,” you muttered. You were, after seeing the kinds of things Shinigami were capable of, starting to doubt your qualifications.

“Of course you will. You’ve got the feel of a strong warrior about you. The Gotei 13 would be lucky to have you,” Shunsui said with a smile. 

You couldn’t help but return the smile, he was surprisingly kind. Many of the Shinigami you’d met had been somewhat kind, of course, but he took it to another level. A level you wouldn’t normally expect from someone whose job required them to carry around a lethal weapon.

“Now, let’s start off with the barracks. I’d like to introduce you to Lieutenant Nanao, just be sure to address me as Captain Kyoraku, and her as Lieutenant Ise. I don’t want her to slap you around on your first day here, that’d be a horrible first impression. And of course, there’s fifth seat Tatsufusa, and I’d also like you to see a few of our Shinigami training…”

~~~~

By the time the tour finished, the sun was nearly setting and you knew more about the Eighth Division than you did the entire Gotei 13 outside of this area. You’d met all of the Seated Officers who weren’t busy, including one Ise Nanao, who was none too happy to see the Captain spending his time showing around a young non-member.

“Well, you’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow… and it looks like the competition this year could be stiff, from what I’ve seen,” Shunsui said, though his tone never changed from that unbelievably optimistic one. “You’ll need your rest if you want to excel!”

“Thanks for doing this, Mister Kyoraku,” you said very gratefully. Today was something you’d never expected to happen, not in a million years.

“Ah ah, Nanao’s nowhere to be seen.”

“Thanks Shunsui,” you corrected with a grin.

He patted you on the shoulder and left without another word, walking off down the hallway at a brisk pace. You looked at the door for several moments, before finally deciding to open it and stroll in. The room was small, a few feet wide at best and barely longer than the bed that was inside, but it was still nicer than anything you’d ever been able to call home before, no matter how temporary it was. And you had to figure that the Academy had rooms that were basically the same, if you managed to make it in.

But the quality of the room wasn’t what kept you awake. It was the thought of tomorrow. You weren’t really sure if you were more excited or more terrified – the potential gains were limitless, but the idea of failing… you weren’t sure if you would even make it to the next time the Academy had an entrance exam.

As much as Shunsui had emphasized sleep, you got the feeling it would be a long time coming.

**Go to Chapter 142**


	72. Chapter 72

“W-wait! Please… take-take me with you!” You shouted, running into the streets several feet, knowing you couldn’t follow them if they didn’t want you to.

The two Shinigami paused mid-stride, and for just a moment, you thought that they were considering it. The Captain looked to the woman at his side and leaned close, whispering something into her ear that you were far too distant to even catch a few words of. Then, without even looking at you, they both disappeared.

You just sighed. It wasn’t like you really expected them to take you back to Seireitei; nobody else just got picked up and hauled off like that, no matter what hell they’d been through. After only a few seconds, hoping against hope that they might turn around and come back, you simply turned and walked back into your house.

As soon as you walked through the door, your jaw dropped open, and it took you several moments to close it again. You saw the girl, the one from earlier, the very same one who had been with the Shinigami Captain. Somehow, when she disappeared, she’d beaten you back to your house – the one that was only a few feet behind you at the time – before you, and without you even noticing.

“I- how…” your voice stumbled off without you even noticing as you stared at the woman in disbelief. You knew that Shinigami were fast, of course, and perhaps even stealthy… but that stealthy? The woman’s stern demeanor broke long enough for her to give you a small smile.

“The Captain thought that after what you had been through, it would be best if you had company for at least a single night. Besides, with the twelfth division here, it would be… best if you were not to meet any of them alone, particularly that Captain of theirs.”

You didn’t bother asking any questions about how or why a Shinigami could do something so… normal, so friendly, so not-Hollow-slaying. You were too grateful, and there was some saying about a horse and its mouth. You nodded in gratitude, and simply said the first thing that came to mind –

“So… what are we going to do?”

She smiled. “It’s a little late in the day to do much of anything, and with the twelfth division around, it’s not really good to leave. They probably won’t bother coming into any of the houses unless they think the Hollow touched them, but… as far as intruders, well, their Captain doesn’t look too kindly on others.”

“Even other Shinigami?”

She nodded, and as she pushed up her glasses you saw a dangerous look cross her face. “Especially other Shinigami. But he wouldn’t dare do anything to a Lieutenant, and if Captain Kyoraku thought that Mayuri had even considered harming myself, or a child…”

She let the thought trail off, but you couldn’t help but be intimidated by that glare she had, even if it wasn’t currently focused on you.

“What are the other divisions like?”

She blinked a few times, as if coming out of a dream. Then,

“Well, there are thirteen in total. The twelfth division is the science division. It’s really only their Captain that is the problem, but…”

She started describing her division, the twelfth division, and every other division over the next few hours. You interjected with questions late into the night, long past sunset and to the point that your eyes began to droop. You were so fascinated that you barely remembered the moment when your eyes finally closed altogether, and your unconscious form slipped down to the floor.

~~~~

When your eyes opened, the sun was shining upon them, coming through a crack in your roof and shining almost perfectly onto both of your eyelids. You shook yourself awake for a few moments, the thought of your last conscious moments suddenly flooding your consciousness and making you look around for the woman who had been talking with you last night.

You didn’t see her at first, and for just a moment, you couldn’t help but question if she’d left in the night. You would have wondered if the Hollow had killed you, but – well, you were already in the Afterlife, and you weren’t sure where else there was to go.

You sat there in silence for a few minutes, contemplating what you would do. It was the sound of tapping on your door frame that finally caused you to come back to the world around you.

“The twelfth division finished their work last night, they never even came by. I thought you might want something to eat, since you look like it’s been a while.”

Your eyes widened as you stared at the contents of her arms. She was holding two full loaves of bread, a spattering of fruits – some of which you hadn’t so much as tasted – and a few vegetables. It was an absolute bounty in the Rukongai, the kind of meal you got once a month, or less, depending on how good you were at stealing…

“I bought enough for the both of us, so have as much as you want,” she said, in a matter-of-fact tone that felt almost mechanical. This was an odd woman, to be sure; her actions conveyed caring that her emotions most certainly did not. More frightening was the way she’d glared last night when talking about the Captain of the other division; either she was quite easy to anger, or everyone felt the same way about that man. You weren’t sure which possibility was more disturbing.

“The Shinigami Academy is holding an entrance examination tomorrow. You’re going to need your strength.” 

You paused, mid-bite. You’d heard about the Academy examinations that were coming up, but you had no idea that they were the next day. You never really knew when the dates were, but you always heard when they came and went. You’d never considered yourself strong enough, but if this Shinigami thought that you might make it…

You still weren’t too sure thought. But maybe if she were to help you, you might just have a chance.

 **Ask her to help you prepare** : Go to Chapter 143

 **Train on your own** : Go to Chapter 144

 **Enjoy your last day, and save your strength** : Go to Chapter 145


	73. Chapter 73

You just stayed silent. You couldn’t bring yourself to say anything to them, and you weren’t sure that you wanted to. They had saved your lives, but they were Shinigami, and you didn’t know much about them to begin with. Maybe they were only acting out of a sense of duty. Whatever the case really was, you felt better off not even trying.

You realized with a start that their estimation of the twelfth division’s arrival was not at all generous. In fact, you saw several black cloaked figures approaching, talking calmly between themselves and looking at several pieces of paper one of them was carrying. They hadn’t noticed you, and the way they were acting they might not until they bumped into you, but the way the other two had talked about them “putting up” with you made you feel like you were better off returning to the house until they were gone. You just hoped that it wouldn’t take them more than one night.

Creeping back inside, you found the makeshift rags you called a bed and curled up. Without being able to leave and with not a lot of activities to do inside, other than count the number of cracks in your ceiling (seventy-eight, you’d long since memorized it on your bored days), you had no real reason to stay awake. Instead you let thoughts of tomorrow fill your mind, and tried very, very hard not to let the creeping fear of the day’s events creep into your dreams. The Rukongai was bad enough without nightmares.

~~~~

When your eyes opened, the sun was shining upon them, coming through a crack in your roof and shining almost perfectly onto both of your eyelids. You shook yourself awake for a few moments, the thought of your last conscious moments suddenly flooding your consciousness. You shuddered, as the nightmares that had haunted you filled your mind, images of Hollows chasing and surrounding you, descending upon you. How close you had come to being devoured, to being another lost soul…

While you had been unsuccessful in your efforts last night, today you were a little bit more successful in pushing those memories away. Partially because as you sat up, a piece of paper caught your attention, falling noisily to the floor. You grabbed at it, a bit worried and a lot curious as to who might’ve left a note on your sleeping form. Perhaps a bandit had come in here thinking to take your valuables, and left a note to laugh at you for having absolutely nothing.

_”Dear ~-”_

There was something there, where it looked like they had started to write and then suddenly stopped.

_”Sorry, I don’t think I actually got your name. Well, I’m sure that we’ll meet again someday. Soul Society really isn’t the big place they make it out to be. I know we left in a bit of a hurry yesterday, but I still thought I should say goodbye. I wish we could do more for you, but unfortunately we don’t have enough men or money to fix the Rukongai’s problems. But I thought you’d like to know that the Shino Academy is holding its entrance exams tomorrow. If you can survive against a Hollow, I’m sure you’ll make it in._

_-Shunsui”_

You sighed. The man was being rather overly generous with his praise; you had hardly survived, more like run away long enough not to get slaughtered. Still… an Academy entrance exam was something to be excited about at least. In fact, you were downright ecstatic. This was a rare chance – very rare – to get the hell out of Rukongai, and maybe just make it big. You’d already made up your mind, of course – you were absolutely going to apply. You couldn’t allow this chance to slip by you. But you would need to prepare yourself. 

You could gather information, see what you could learn about the process and hopefully while you were at it get some new clothes and a meal in you. But you also needed to train. If they just accepted every punk off the street there was a good chance everyone in Rukongai would’ve already become a Shinigami, and as it was, you were little more than an average punk.

You had made up your mind. You would…

**Search Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 146**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 147**


	74. Chapter 74

You needed to find a place to stay. While food was important, as long as you weren’t robbed in the middle of the night you could always buy some tomorrow, and that was when you would probably need it anyway. There weren’t exactly hotels in the Rukongai – hard to attract people when your attractions were starving kids and the elderly – but you were sure there would be someone willing to give you a night at their place for a little cash.

Yet, this was a more rundown neighborhood of Seireitei. If you were going to spend money – money that was actually yours, as odd as that was – you were going to spend it in a nicer part of town. With that in mind, you set out toward the lower-numbered districts of the Rukongai. You would probably not make it very far, not as late as it was quickly becoming, but with any luck you could make it down a few districts over the next couple of hours. You had spent most of your life in District fifty-two, but you had heard that once you got within the first fifty districts of East Rukongai, life wasn’t quite so bad. Unfortunately, stealing was a lot more looked down on there, and you didn’t have the money to live there lawfully. Which meant you could never go there to get money. It was that cycle that left so many souls out here in the bad districts of Rukongai, sometimes forever.

You strayed away from that dark train of thought, and tried to turn your thoughts to something happier. None of the stalls were open, since by the time it was cooled down enough for people to be comfortable it was too late for it to be worth much to open them anyway. This left you free to devote all of your attention to finding a place to spend the night.

There were no physical signs, but as you walked you could tell by the change in the buildings around you as you passed through the fifty first, fiftieth, and eventually forty-ninth district. The people were happier, some even walking the streets with less evident fear on their faces, while the houses had fewer and fewer holes in them the further along that you went.

You didn’t stop there though. You kept walking until the sun was nearly setting in the distance, so far that you were sure you must’ve been approaching the fortieth district. By that point most of the houses were in one, solid piece, and the sound of conversations filled the air.

Yet, by some stroke of luck, it seemed like you might have a chance to find a home without actually paying. There was a building, with no furniture, no possessions, not even a cot. It looked like it was just sitting, waiting for you to take advantage of it!

In such a good neighborhood, you couldn’t believe your luck. You half-ran into the building, and were already trying to pick out a corner when you heard the voice from behind you.

“’ey! What do you think you’re doing in our place?!”

You turned around with wide eyes as you saw the challenging inhabitant – a bald man in a white shirt, holding a blade that was pointed at you.

You stared at the blade for a few moments, apparently several too many for his tastes judging by the way his expression soured.

“Oi! I said what are you doing here? Another thief, are you? And here I thought we were finally done with that crap,” He grunted as he took a step closer.

“I’m not a thief, I was trying to find someone who would let me stay the night, and then I saw this house, and it looked empty.”

“Hah! Yeah right, like anyone would let you stay with them. You know what they say kid; ain’t nothing in this life that’s fr-“

His eyes suddenly glinted as he scanned your form, fixing around your waist. It was easy to tell based on the sudden smirk that came over him that he was staring at the pouch tied loosely around your outfit. You had your hand wrapped instinctively around it even then, but it wasn’t hard to spot. He looked back into your eyes and sounded positively gleeful.

“Hey, that’ll actually get you somewhere! Tell you what, that killjoy Yumichika isn’t around to try an’ stop me; give me some sake money and you can stay here as long as you want. We’ll be gone by tomorrow afternoon anyway, what do I care, eh?”

You thought long and hard about that one. On the one hand, it was a place to stay… on the other, you weren’t sure that you wanted to stay with a man who carried a blade around, much less one who planned on getting drunk with the money you gave him.

**Give him the money: Go to Chapter 148**

**Go somewhere else: Go to Chapter 149**


	75. Chapter 75

You wanted food. Food was life in the Rukongai – it was rare, and obtaining it by legitimate means, at least where you were from, was even rarer for most of the populace. Especially young, hungry children. You had to find someone willing to sell you food, however, which on a day like today was not entirely as easy as it sounded.

Fortunately, you were eventually able to find one. Food stands were closed in your area mostly because of the fact that very few people in the fifty-second district of East Rukongai had enough money to afford food legitimately, and with the heat of the day even fewer of them were out and about. 

If you were going to spend money – money that was actually yours, as odd as that was – you were going to need to spend it in a nicer part of town. With that in mind, you set out toward the lower-numbered districts of the Rukongai. You would probably not make it very far, not as late as it was quickly becoming, but with any luck you could make it down a few districts over the next couple of hours. You had spent most of your life in District fifty-two, but you had heard that once you got within the first fifty districts of East Rukongai, life wasn’t quite so bad. Unfortunately, stealing was a lot more looked down on there, and you didn’t have the money to live there lawfully. Which meant you could never go there to get money. It was that cycle that left so many souls out here in the bad districts of Rukongai, sometimes forever.

You strayed away from that dark train of thought, and tried to turn your thoughts to something happier. For instance… the smell of fresh food wafting from just a few feet away. Your eyes fixed on the display – it was candy. A candy store, open in the middle of the evening. You began to wonder just how far you had walked; you guessed that you were at least in the forty-ninth district, maybe farther, considering how nice the houses around were and how few suspicious people lurking in alleyways you had seen.

In a flash you were there, nutrition be damned. Candy in the Rukongai was a little limited anyway, and there was sure to be some regular food you could pick up so your teeth wouldn’t totally rot from the first full meal they’d seen in weeks.

“Well, looks like it was worth staying open after all,” the man behind the stall mused as you grabbed a handful of goods while laying the pouch on the counter to show that you weren’t about to run off with his goods. When you had an armful you counted out the money you’d been given and pocketed what was left, making a dash down the street with a farewell thrown over your shoulder.

You found a discreet alleyway and started munching immediately, digging into what you hoped or guessed were the tastiest bits, saving the ordinary food for last. You were so busy and thrilled to actually be eating such delicious treat that you didn’t notice the approaching figure until it shouted at you.

“Hey! That candy shop closed down! Give me some of that candy!”

The voice was loud, booming, deep, and incredibly assertive, and yet somehow not… _entirely_ hostile. You looked up in panic, already predicting the worst as you saw the giant of a man charging toward you. From his shoulder sprang up something you couldn’t identify for a moment, before it shouted out too, in a much higher-pitched voice.

“Yeah! Come on, we want some tooooo, and we’ve been looking all day.”

Your eyes wide, you made a split second decision-

**To run for it: Go to Chapter 150**

**To hand over the candy: Go to Chapter 151**


	76. Chapter 76

“W-wait! Please… take-take me with you! You’re a Captain, can’t you help me?” You shouted, running into the streets several feet, even knowing you couldn’t follow them if they didn’t want you to. 

The two Shinigami paused mid-stride, and for just a moment, you thought that they were considering it. The Captain looked to the woman at his side and leaned close, whispering something into her ear that you were far too distant to even catch a few words of. Then, without even looking at you, they both disappeared.

You just sighed. It wasn’t like you really expected them to take you back to Seireitei; nobody else just got picked up and hauled off like that, no matter what hell they’d been through. After only a few seconds, hoping against hope that they might turn around and come back, you simply turned and walked back into your house.

As soon as you walked through the door, your jaw dropped open, and it took you several moments to close it again. You saw the girl, the one from earlier, the very same one who had been with the Shinigami Captain. Somehow, when she disappeared, she’d beaten you back to your house – the one that was only a few feet behind you at the time – before you, and without you even noticing.

“I- how…” your voice stumbled off without you even noticing as you stared at the woman in disbelief. You knew that Shinigami were fast, of course, and perhaps even stealthy… but that stealthy? The woman’s stern demeanor broke long enough for her to give you a small smile.

“The Captain thought that after what you had been through, it would be best if you had company for at least a single night. He wanted to come himself, but I told him that there were too many important things that would need attending to after the incident today… not that he’s likely to do any of the paperwork,” she added with a sigh. “So I agreed to come so that he would not. Besides, with the twelfth division here, it would be… best if you were not to meet any of them alone, particularly that Captain of theirs.”

You didn’t bother asking any questions about how or why a Shinigami could do something so… normal, so friendly, so not-Hollow-slaying. You were too grateful, and there was some saying about a horse and its mouth. You nodded in gratitude, and simply said the first thing that came to mind –

“So… what are we going to do?”

Her expression never changed, but she sounded contemplative. “It’s a little late in the day to do much of anything, and with the twelfth division around, it’s not really good to leave. They probably won’t bother coming into any of the houses unless they think the Hollow touched them, but… as far as intruders, well, their Captain doesn’t look too kindly on others.”

“Even other Shinigami?”

She nodded, and as she pushed up her glasses you saw a dangerous look cross her face. “Especially other Shinigami. But he wouldn’t dare do anything to a Lieutenant, and if Captain Kyoraku thought that Mayuri had even considered harming myself, or a child…”

She let the thought trail off, but you couldn’t help but be intimidated by that glare she had, even if it wasn’t currently focused on you.

“What are the other divisions like?”

She blinked a few times, as if coming out of a dream. Then,

“Well, there are thirteen in total. The twelfth division is the science division. It’s really only their Captain that is the problem, but…”

She started describing her division, the twelfth division, and every other division over the next few hours. You interjected with questions late into the night, long past sunset and to the point that your eyes began to droop. You were so fascinated that you barely remembered the moment when your eyes finally closed altogether, and your unconscious form slipped down to the floor.

~~~~

When your eyes opened, the sun was shining upon them, coming through a crack in your roof and shining almost perfectly onto both of your eyelids. You shook yourself awake for a few moments, the thought of your last conscious moments suddenly flooding your consciousness and making you look around for the woman who had been talking with you last night.

You didn’t see her at first, and for just a moment, you couldn’t help but question if she’d left in the night. You would have wondered if the Hollow had killed you, but – well, you were already in the Afterlife, and you weren’t sure where else there was to go.

You sat there in silence for a few minutes, contemplating what you would do. It was the sound of tapping on your door frame that finally caused you to come back to the world around you.

“The twelfth division finished their work last night, they never even came by. I thought you might want something to eat, since you look like it’s been a while.”

Your eyes widened as you stared at the contents of her arms. She was holding two full loaves of bread, a spattering of fruits – some of which you hadn’t so much as tasted – and a few vegetables. It was an absolute bounty in the Rukongai, the kind of meal you got once a month, or less, depending on how good you were at stealing…

“I bought enough for the both of us, so have as much as you want,” she said, in a matter-of-fact tone that felt almost mechanical. This was an odd woman, to be sure; her actions conveyed some level of caring that her emotions most certainly did not. More frightening was the way she’d glared last night when talking about the Captain of the other division; either she was quite easy to anger, or everyone felt the same way about that man. You weren’t sure which possibility was more disturbing.

“The Shinigami Academy is holding an entrance examination tomorrow. You’re going to need your strength.” 

You paused, mid-bite. You’d heard about the Academy examinations that were coming up, but you had no idea that they were the next day. You never really knew when the dates were, but you always heard when they came and went. You’d never considered yourself strong enough, but if this Shinigami thought that you might make it…

You still weren’t too sure thought. But maybe if she were to help you, you might just have a chance.

 **Ask her to help you prepare** : Go to Chapter 152

 **Train on your own** : Go to Chapter 153

 **Enjoy your last day, and save your strength** : Go to Chapter 154


	77. Chapter 77

“W-wait! Thank you, miss. For saving me!” You shouted, taking a few steps toward them as if afraid your voice would not reach them on its own.

The two Shinigami paused mid-stride, and you saw the woman glance back with a shocked look on her face. 

“I… I believe you already said that.” Despite her words, you could’ve sworn you saw a small smile creeping along her face. “But… you are welcome.”

Her Captain’s grin was not even half-hidden, as the two of them turned off and vanished in an instant. You wished you could say more. They’d done so much for you in just a few moments, and now they were gone. More importantly, you kind of wished you could’ve gone with them. But you were just some random kid from the Rukongai, what reason did they have to do that? If they tried to help everyone who needed it they’d be broke or dead from exhaustion within the week. You solemnly began turning back to your house, when you noticed a group approaching.

You realized with a start that their estimation of the twelfth division’s arrival was not at all generous. In fact, you saw several black cloaked figures approaching, talking calmly between themselves and looking at several pieces of paper one of them was carrying. Who else could they be, but the same people the other Shinigami had just warned you about? They hadn’t noticed you, and the way they were acting they might not until they actually bumped into you, but the way the other two had talked about them “putting up” with you made you feel like you were better off returning to the house until they were gone. You just hoped that it wouldn’t take them more than one night.

Creeping back inside, you found the makeshift rags you called a bed and curled up. Without being able to leave and with not a lot of activities to do inside, other than count the number of cracks in your ceiling (seventy-eight, you’d long since memorized it on your bored days), you had no real reason to stay awake. Instead you let thoughts of tomorrow fill your mind, and tried very, very hard not to let the creeping fear of the day’s events creep into your dreams. The Rukongai was bad enough without nightmares.

~~~~

When your eyes opened, the sun was shining upon them, coming through a crack in your roof and shining almost perfectly onto both of your eyelids. You shook yourself awake for a few moments, the thought of your last conscious moments suddenly flooding your consciousness. You shuddered, as the nightmares that had haunted you filled your mind, images of Hollows chasing and surrounding you, descending upon you. How close you had come to being devoured, to being another lost soul…

While you had been unsuccessful in your efforts last night, today you were a little bit more successful in pushing those memories away. Partially because as you sat up, a piece of paper caught your attention, falling noisily to the floor. You grabbed at it, a bit worried and a lot curious as to who might’ve left a note on your sleeping form. Perhaps a bandit had come in here thinking to take your valuables, and left a note to laugh at you for having absolutely nothing.

_”Dear ~-”_

There was something there, where it looked like they had started to write and then suddenly stopped.

_”Sorry, I don’t think I actually got your name. Well, I’m sure that we’ll meet again someday. Soul Society really isn’t the big place they make it out to be. I know we left in a bit of a hurry yesterday, but I still thought I should say goodbye. It’s not very often you get a chance to save someone’s life in the Rukongai, much less for them to be so grateful. Most of them are too shocked to speak! I wish we could do more for you, but unfortunately we don’t have enough men or money to fix the Rukongai’s problems. Still, I thought you’d like to know that the Shino Academy is holding its entrance exams tomorrow. If you can survive against a Hollow, I’m sure you’ll make it in._

_-Shunsui”_

You sighed. The man was being rather overly generous with his praise; you had hardly survived, more like run away long enough not to get slaughtered. Still… an Academy entrance exam was something to be excited about at least. In fact, you were downright ecstatic. This was a rare chance – very rare – to get the hell out of Rukongai, and maybe just make it big. You’d already made up your mind, of course – you were absolutely going to apply. You couldn’t allow this chance to slip by you. But you would need to prepare yourself. 

You could gather information, see what you could learn about the process and hopefully while you were at it get some new clothes and a meal in you. But you also needed to train. If they just accepted every punk off the street there was a good chance everyone in Rukongai would’ve already become a Shinigami, and as it was, you were little more than an average punk.

You had made up your mind. You would…

**Search Rukongai for information: Go to Chapter 155**

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 156**


	78. Chapter 78

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was just beginning its descent, fading into the distance slowly, having crossed the top of the sky almost two hours ago.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had earlier that morning with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 157**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 158**


	79. Chapter 79

When the morning light dawned you immediately set out toward the direction that you recalled their home being in. It was a ways away, and you thought that it might take you a while, but hopefully you could find them. If you could, you could ask them what they were going to do about the entrance exams; they had almost certainly heard about them, and if they had any kind of drive or devotion at all you were sure they would try their hand. Judging by the way they acted, they certainly had the spirit and the desire to escape the Rukongai.

It took longer than you would’ve liked, but eventually you were able to pick out landmarks that you knew were in the vicinity. Since you had only been here once before it still wasn’t easy to pick out the correct direction, but eventually you found them. More by their sound than the sight, though…

“For the last time, it’s this way Renji!”

“I’m telling you, it’s got to be over here!”

You almost smiled at the familiar sound of arguing. Turning toward them, you saw just two blocks over the familiar redhead and his black-haired friend. If you hadn’t heard them arguing you might’ve missed them entirely, since they were apparently on the move.

“Oi, I’ve been looking all over for you two!”

They both turned to you, with differing expressions. Renji’s anger that had been directed at Rukia turned to slightly lesser annoyance as he glared at you, while Rukia managed to turn her frustrations entirely away, a small smile even cracking out as she looked your way.

“I remember you! You helped us out yesterday.” Renji’s words were, unfortunately, about what you expected.

“Help? More like nearly got us killed! Beat it, we don’t need you as bait today,” Renji griped as he turned back to Rukia. “The exams are gonna be that way, so we should go to the training grounds this way,” Renji said, pointing down two different roads very close to each other.

“Exams? Are you two trying to become Shinigami too?” You asked, a bit more surprise than was appropriate creeping into your voice. It wasn’t like you should’ve been shocked, after all.

“Yeah, and butt out of our conversation,” Renji retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at you.

“You want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked, putting a hand to her chin. “You should come with us. We’re going to train near where the exams are tomorrow and sleep overnight.”

“Don’t give away where we’re sleeping! He might be coming after us for all you know!”

You eyed the sack on Renji’s back for a moment, careful not to let him see it. Of course he wasn’t _entirely_ wrong. You were fairly certain that inside that sack was all the bread that they’d stolen yesterday they hadn’t already wolfed down, and there were plenty of people willing to hurt or even kill to get their hands on that much food. Considering you already knew where they lived last night, though, he was starting to-

“You’re sounding a little paranoid there, Renji,” Rukia said with a deadpan expression, before turning back to you. Apparently she’d been thinking the same thing. “Come on, join us! We need to get stronger if we’re going to stand out in the entrance exams, and we can make a lot more progress with three people.”

“Well…” You considered that for a moment. It would be nice, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to or not. There was the matter of how long it would take, plus Renji... well, he was being Renji, from what you knew of him.

**Go with them: Go to Chapter 159**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 160**


	80. Chapter 80

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was just beginning its descent, fading into the distance slowly, having crossed the top of the sky almost two hours ago.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had earlier that morning with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 161**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 162**


	81. Chapter 81

When the morning light dawned you immediately set out toward the direction that you recalled their home being in. It was a ways away, and you thought that it might take you a while, but hopefully you could find them. If you could, you could ask them what they were going to do about the entrance exams; they had almost certainly heard about them, and if they had any kind of drive or devotion at all you were sure they would try their hand. Judging by the way they acted, they certainly had the spirit and the desire to escape the Rukongai.

It took longer than you would’ve liked, but eventually you were able to pick out landmarks that you knew were in the vicinity. Since you had only been here once before it still wasn’t easy to pick out the correct direction, but eventually you found them. More by their sound than the sight, though…

“For the last time, it’s this way Renji!”

“I’m telling you, it’s got to be over here!”

You almost smiled at the familiar sound of arguing. Turning toward them, you saw just two blocks over the familiar redhead and his black-haired friend. If you hadn’t heard them arguing you might’ve missed them entirely, since they were apparently on the move.

“Oi, I’ve been looking all over for you two!”

They both turned to you, with differing expressions. Renji’s anger that had been directed at Rukia turned to slightly lesser annoyance as he glared at you, while Rukia managed to turn her frustrations entirely away, a small smile even cracking out as she looked your way.

“I remember you! You helped us out yesterday.” Renji’s words were, unfortunately, about what you expected.

“Help? More like nearly got us killed! Beat it, we don’t need you as bait today,” Renji griped as he turned back to Rukia. “The exams are gonna be that way, so we should go to the training grounds this way,” Renji said, pointing down two different roads very close to each other.

“Exams? Are you two trying to become Shinigami too?” You asked, a bit more surprise than was appropriate creeping into your voice. It wasn’t like you should’ve been shocked, after all.

“Yeah, and butt out of our conversation,” Renji retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at you.

“You want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked, putting a hand to her chin. “You should come with us. We’re going to train near where the exams are tomorrow and sleep overnight.”

“Don’t give away where we’re sleeping! He might be coming after us for all you know!”

You eyed the sack on Renji’s back for a moment, careful not to let him see it. Of course he wasn’t _entirely_ wrong. You were fairly certain that inside that sack was all the bread that they’d stolen yesterday they hadn’t already wolfed down, and there were plenty of people willing to hurt or even kill to get their hands on that much food. Considering you already knew where they lived last night, though, he was starting to-

“You’re sounding a little paranoid there, Renji,” Rukia said with a deadpan expression, before turning back to you. Apparently she’d been thinking the same thing. “Come on, join us! We need to get stronger if we’re going to stand out in the entrance exams, and we can make a lot more progress with three people.”

“Well…” You considered that for a moment. It would be nice, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to or not. There was the matter of how long it would take, plus Renji... well, he was being Renji, from what you knew of him.

**Go with them: Go to Chapter 163**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 164**


	82. Chapter 82

Rukia... that was her name. She was an interesting girl; just by looking at her, you could tell she had the strength and spirit to survive in the Rukongai. That same spirit might just make her an excellent Shinigami. In your dreams both she and Renji were there, running from something, you weren't sure quite what. It wasn't a scary dream, though. The three of you were laughing and playing as you turned through alleys and side streets, dodging and eluding some unseen pursuer.

Even in the dream, you'd unconsciously made up your mind. You would seek them both out tomorrow... and make sure they didn't leave you behind.

~~~~

When the morning light dawned you immediately set out toward the direction that you recalled their home being in. It was a ways away, and you thought that it might take you a while, but hopefully you could find them. If you could, you could ask them what they were going to do about the entrance exams; they had almost certainly heard about them, and if they had any kind of drive or devotion at all you were sure they would try their hand. Judging by the way they acted, they certainly had the spirit and the desire to escape the Rukongai.

It took longer than you would’ve liked, but eventually you were able to pick out landmarks that you knew were in the vicinity. Since you had only been here once before it still wasn’t easy to pick out the correct direction, but eventually you found them. More by their sound than the sight, though…

“For the last time, it’s this way Renji!”

“I’m telling you, it’s got to be over here!”

You almost smiled at the familiar sound of arguing. Turning toward them, you saw just two blocks over the familiar redhead and his black-haired friend. If you hadn’t heard them arguing you might’ve missed them entirely, since they were apparently on the move.

“Oi, I’ve been looking all over for you two!”

They both turned to you, with differing expressions. Renji’s anger that had been directed at Rukia turned to slightly lesser annoyance as he glared at you, while Rukia managed to turn her frustrations entirely away, a small smile even cracking out as she looked your way.

“I remember you! You helped us out yesterday.” Renji’s words were, unfortunately, about what you expected.

“Help? More like nearly got us killed! Beat it, we don’t need you as bait today,” Renji griped as he turned back to Rukia. “The exams are gonna be that way, so we should go to the training grounds this way,” Renji said, pointing down two different roads very close to each other.

“Exams? Are you two trying to become Shinigami too?” You asked, a bit more surprise than was appropriate creeping into your voice. It wasn’t like you should’ve been shocked, after all.

“Yeah, and butt out of our conversation,” Renji retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at you.

“You want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked, putting a hand to her chin. “You should come with us. We’re going to train near where the exams are tomorrow and sleep overnight.”

“Don’t give away where we’re sleeping! He might be coming after us for all you know!”

You eyed the sack on Renji’s back for a moment, careful not to let him see it. Of course he wasn’t _entirely_ wrong. You were fairly certain that inside that sack was all the bread that they’d stolen yesterday they hadn’t already wolfed down, and there were plenty of people willing to hurt or even kill to get their hands on that much food. Considering you already knew where they lived last night, though, he was starting to-

“You’re sounding a little paranoid there, Renji,” Rukia said with a deadpan expression, before turning back to you. Apparently she’d been thinking the same thing. “Come on, join us! We need to get stronger if we’re going to stand out in the entrance exams, and we can make a lot more progress with three people.”

“Well…” You considered that for a moment. It would be nice, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to or not. There was the matter of how long it would take, plus Renji... well, he was being Renji, from what you knew of him.

But after that dream you had last night, you wouldn’t let that stop you. Something was drawing you toward it.

“Sure, sounds awesome!” You gave a thumbs up and started after them.

“Hah! Told you we’d need the third sword,” Rukia said. “Looks like _you_ get the shorter one, and we’re taking _my_ way.”

“Whatever, you had no idea he was just gonna show up like that!” Renji called back. Despite his earlier behavior, he seemed almost resigned to your presence now. He glanced back at you and gave a grunt. “Hurry up, if you’re coming along you’d better at least be able to keep up!”

You were pretty sure that you could keep up with what amounted to a fast walk, but you decided to keep your mouth shut so that, hopefully, he could warm up to you. A little. Maybe?

After a little over an hour of quick walking, and judging by the look on Rukia’s face as you arrived at a vaguely forested area, you must have arrived at the training zone. She was quick to confirm your suspicions.

“Hah! Told you this was the way! We won’t even have to walk ten minutes to get to the exam from here.” Rukia pointed victoriously toward a direction you couldn’t even guess at; you were in a part of the Rukongai you’d rarely explored, and never mapped out in your head.

“Whatever, let’s just get started,” Renji growled, leaving the sack that he was carrying off to the side, but where it was in plain sight so that nobody could steal from it without being spotted.

“You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she threw you a spare. You caught it awkwardly in the air, while she grinned at you the whole time. “He threw himself at a shopkeeper without hesitating; I want to see what he can really do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 165**

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 166**


	83. Chapter 83

Who knew who she was? She probably didn't have a name - imagination creations usually didn't. You laughed, you talked, and you wondered for a moment where you might find someone as wonderful as her. Perhaps, if you became a Shinigami, it would be easier.

Unconsciously you decided that tomorrow you would train, and perhaps one day earn the woman of your dreams through that path.

~~~~

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was just beginning its descent, fading into the distance slowly, having crossed the top of the sky almost two hours ago.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had earlier that morning with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 167**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 168**


	84. Chapter 84

“Hey, wait a minute, come back here and-” You didn’t catch the end of the sentence. The man’s words trailed off as you careened around a nearby house.

“You aren’t getting away that easy!” You heard the sound of something smashing into a wall – and then the wall utterly crumbling away. Your eyes widened as the realization of just how ridiculously strong this person had to be flashed through your mind. You redoubled your pace, not sure how you were outrunning him as the sound of another wall exploding nearby came to your ears. 

A spray of rubble accompanied this one, and for a moment you saw the man grinning at you, between the house that he had only just run through and the next one. Which he then proceeded to break into as well, this time to a loud shrieking sound.

You turned to the left at the next alleyway and crammed yourself behind a large stack of boxes, wedging yourself in between two of them the best that you could. The sounds of smashing walls and the occasional yelp of surprise from scared inhabitants surrounded you, but they became routine after a moment. What scared you was when you heard the voice a few feet away from you.

“Dang it! He got away!”

“Awww, Kenny, now we’ll never find ittttt!” A surprisingly feminine voice, extremely high pitched and whiny filled the air. “Come on, I think he went that way!”

Your heart nearly pounded through your chest, but suddenly the footsteps were headed in almost the exact opposite direction of you, pounding on the dirt and thankfully avoiding smashing through any more houses. After a few moments of silence, you peeked out and saw that the streets were utterly empty. The only sounds were the groans, curses, and lamentations of those who had had their homes so violently trashed.

“What… what WAS that guy?” You muttered, before shaking your head and shivering a little bit. Thoroughly shocked by the caliber of strength a man had to have to grin while thrusting his face through a building’s wall, you made your way home, always listening for footsteps that you expected behind you at any moment.

When your head finally hit the pillow, you sighed and let your mind wander to thoughts of the next day. You had heard… at least, you thought you had heard someone talking about an entrance exam for the Shinigami Academy. You had forgotten about it until tonight, because you hadn’t thought at the time that you could possibly make it in. But after your experiences today, you thought you just might have a shot. Sure, most of what you had done was to successfully run away from other people, but if a starving, malnourished, and really not-that-active person could outrun other souls with much better lifestyles – and one who was some kind of monster – maybe that person had it in them to stand out of a crowd of applicants.

But you weren’t naïve. It was a longshot at best ,and if you were going to try, you needed to improve. So as your mind slowly ebbed away into the land of dreams, you resolved to use tomorrow’s time wisely, to…

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 169**

**Look around the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 170**


	85. Chapter 85

“WHAT DO YOU WANT!” You shouted back, your voice oddly firm and not at all showing the intimidating you’d felt when this man first drew his blade on you.

The man abruptly sheathed his sword, completely unfazed by your own tone, and just kept on shouting.

“Where in the hell’s the candy store?! I’ve been looking for it all day!”

“Yeah! Kenny got us lost!”

A pink ball of fuzz had popped over the shoulder of the man, and shouted out those words in a high-pitched squeal. You looked for a moment, and finally spotted a face amidst the locks, nuzzled into the man’s torn gray shirt.

“Uh… this is the fifty-second district of West Rukongai. The nearest candy store isn’t for several districts, probably at least the forty-ninth district, so… three districts east of here?” You said questioningly. You weren’t actually certain, because candy was a luxury you couldn’t afford, much like the lower-numbered districts. Past the fiftieth district things got a lot less dangerous and a lot nicer, but because of that thievery and vagrancy were a lot more looked down upon. It was a place you’d often wished to go to, but had no means to do so.

“Hey, I was just following your directions,” Kenny muttered, though loudly enough that even you could hear it. He seemed to take several seconds processing what you’d just said before turning back to you.

“Wait, the forty-ninth- Yachiru, I told you we should’ve just headed for Seireitei!”

“Kenny, I’m huuuungryyyyyyyy!” Yachiru whined, pounding on his shoulder.

“You two are… going to Seireitei?” You asked. It was a bit surprising, considering that people like this were honestly the kind of folk you would never expect to see running around such a high-class place as the Seireitei. Then again, that blade that he wielded did look an awful lot like one of the Shinigami blades, if a bit more worn… 

“Huh?” He looked at you like he’d completely forgotten you were there in the first place. “Yeah, eventually. I hear they’ve got a squad there that’s strong. So I’m gonna go fight the biggest guy they’ve got and see if he’s really worth all the talk I’ve been hearing about him. I hear if I kill him, I get to take over his squad… sounds like a bunch of trouble, but I bet it’ll make a lot of people angry. Maybe angry enough to come fight me.”

Your eyes widened. This man was bold, and maybe even powerful – though you had yet to see any proof – but was he strong enough to kill a Captain? He didn’t look like a Shinigami, aside from the sword, and you’d never heard of anyone as strong as a Shinigami Captain. But he was without fear, as if talking about taking out a Captain of one of the strongest squads in the Gotei 13 was nothing more than sharpening his blade.

For a moment, the wild thought of asking to go with this man occurred to you. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea, but… there was a Shinigami Academy entrance exam coming up in the very near future. Supposedly, this man was heading toward the Seireitei and if you could make yourself of use to him, he might just be willing to help you out. Of course, you weren’t entirely sure you wanted to go with this man, and it was very late. The sun was already halfway over the horizon, and you still had a ways to go before you got home.

**Ask to go with the violent man: Go to Chapter 171**

**Make your way back home: Go to Chapter 172**


	86. Chapter 86

You immediately set out toward the direction that you recalled their home being in. It was a ways away, and you thought that it might take you a while, but hopefully you could find them. If you could, you could ask them what they were going to do about the entrance exams; they had almost certainly heard about them, and if they had any kind of drive or devotion at all you were sure they would try their hand. Judging by the way they acted, they certainly had the spirit and the desire to escape the Rukongai. This late in the day they might already be hard at work training, if they were indeed trying to pass the exam. 

It took longer than you would’ve liked, but eventually you were able to pick out landmarks that you knew were in the vicinity. Since you had only been here once before it still wasn’t easy to pick out the correct direction, but eventually you found them. More by their sound than the sight, though…

“Look what you’ve done! It’s nearly noon, Renji. We’ve followed your directions for the last time, because you’ve had us lost for nearly an hour!”

“Oi, I’ve been looking all over for you two!”

They both turned to you, with differing expressions. Renji’s anger that had been directed at Rukia turned to complete disdain, while Rukia managed to turn her frustrations mostly away, a wry half-frown on her face as she looked over.

“Oh, hey. You’re the kid that helped us out yesterday.” 

Renji’s words were, unfortunately, about what you expected.

“Help? More like nearly got us killed! Beat it, we’re having enough trouble without the likes of you hanging around,” Renji griped as he turned back to Rukia. “The exams are gonna be that way, so the training grounds are going to be that way,” Renji said, pointing down two different roads very close to each other.

“Exams? Are you two trying to become Shinigami too?” You asked, a bit more surprise than was appropriate creeping into your voice. It wasn’t like you should’ve been shocked, after all.

“Yeah, and butt out of our conversation,” Renji retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at you.

“For the last time, Renji, the exam is _that_ way,” Rukia said, pointing in a very different direction. “And the training grounds are over there!”

With Rukia ignoring you and Renji yelling at you, you had to find a way to butt into the conversation if you wanted to make the trip over here worth anything. It took several more seconds of bickering before both of them were quiet enough for you to get a word in.

“Listen, I- I know you two are busy, but it’s rough out here, and the Academy is our only shot out of here.” The words came quickly so that nobody would cut you off. “I really think we’ve got a better shot if we work together, and you guys really seemed like you could handle yourselves yesterday.”

“Yeah, we could, so why should we need you?!” Renji said, shaking his fist.

“Oh, hush, Renji,” Rukia said, and at last acknowledged your existence at last when she turned to you. “Sure, come on. We were going to spend the day training and sleep at the training grounds, before the Academy exam tomorrow. Then Renji here cost us half the day leading us the wrong way! Now we’ll be lucky if our training even does us any good. Follow me. Renji can keep getting himself lost if he wants to, while we get into the Academy!”

Saying that, Rukia started off immediately, not giving either of you a chance to respond. Renji did the same, huffing and heading out in the way that he’d hoped to end up. You looked between the two of them and their opposite directions, not certain what you wanted to do. You couldn’t very well leave; you’d lost enough time on your trip over here that by the time you got back the day would be mostly over. If you wanted this trip to mean something, you were going to have to follow one of them…

**Follow Rukia: Go to Chapter 173**

**Follow Renji: Go to Chapter 174**


	87. Chapter 87

You needed to improve your strength, and fast. You’d slept in late today and that was bad enough. You couldn’t waste any time – you had to train immediately. You didn’t really understand how a Shinigami trained, but you figured that it couldn’t be that much different from what people did around here to get stronger. If you just worked out, maybe it wouldn’t make you a better Shinigami overall, but it would at least make you a stronger one.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was already beginning to dip below the horizon.

“Well, at least I… got something done…” You said, collapsing in utter exhaustion on your bed, the one area of your house that granted you some level of comfort. Your lungs were burning and you didn’t think that your muscles had ever been more pain-filled, but you were at least reasonably sure you would live now that you’d stopped.

Your stomach grumbled, and you wished for a moment that you had saved some of the bread from yesterday. You were experiencing significant cramps, and a severe headache. But you couldn’t go out, not this late at night when you could barely stand. You had to bear the pain.

Still, you were proud of yourself. You had trained hard, maybe harder than you ever had. And tomorrow, you would get to put it all on the line. Tomorrow decided your fate – whether that be as a Shinigami or another reject.

You were prepared to give it your best, regardless.

**Go to Chapter 175**


	88. Chapter 88

“You know, you don’t have to come with me,” you said as Renji pulled you out the door.

“Hah! I wish. Rukia wouldn’t let me hear the end of it for weeks,” Renji grumbled, still halfway dragging you out of the building.

“No, I mean it.” You jerked your arm free. “Just go back inside. Tell Rukia I wanted to head home alone.”

Renji eyed you suspiciously. It seemed like his desire to be rid of you was waging with his mistrust of you. It was like he expected you to walk back inside as soon as he agreed and tell Rukia that he’d thrown your ass on the street and then walked away.

“Well… I guess if you don’t want my help there’s no issue. Just don’t blame me if something happens,” Renji grumbled. Despite his words, his tone seemed at least a little thankful. Or maybe just less hateful, either way. If he treated everyone this way, you were curious as to how it was that he had managed to befriend Rukia in the first place – though she seemed to enjoy their arguments as well.

“No point in both of us being miserable,” You muttered as he turned and went back inside. You shrugged, though. At least he seemed to appreciate it. Maybe if you met up with him again he wouldn’t be so utterly agitated to you all the time.

The walk home felt quick, but perhaps only because of the fact that you were lost in thought. You’d never had any friends while you were in Rukongai – none that stuck around, anyway. What was worse? To have been alone for all of your life, or to have friends… and then lose them? It was an answer you doubted you could decide, and doubted even more that you wanted to learn.

You would never get the chance, unless you managed to escape Seireitei. You’d never even make any friends at this rate; you’d be dead before you really got to know much of any of the people you’d met lately. But there was one, single shining ray of hope – the Shinigami Academy was holding entrance exams in two days. You’d heard it from a passing conversation someone else had been having, until they’d noticed you eavesdropping. There was no doubt in your mind – you had to go there, had to be able to succeed. If you didn’t… well, you weren’t certain that you’d make it to the next one.

As you lay your head down on your pillow, you cleared your mind. The last thing you needed was a night full of dark dreams and curiosities. You felt your mind slowly slipping away as you faded into the realm of dreams. You knew only one thing – tomorrow, you were going to…

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 176**

**Find the two you met earlier: Go to Chapter 177**


	89. Chapter 89

Renji grumbled as you both started to walk down the street, but you weren’t going to dismiss him. It was nice having company, especially in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and the fact that he had bothered to come after you at all made you think that he might not hate you after all.

“Thanks for doing this, I-“

“Oh shut it! Just because I don’t’ want Rukia on my back tomorrow doesn’t mean you get to yap all the way home!”

So much for that, anyway.

The trip became an awkwardly long one, but neither of you breached the silence the rest of the way home. Aside from a few grumbles from Renji, that is. He didn’t even bother to say his goodbyes as you pointed out your house. He turned and left, there one minute and vanishing into a side alley the next. You sighed and shook your head, but didn’t try to stop him. Renji had some serious anger issues, that was for certain.

Of course, none of this was anything too new. Few people were kind, some were even colder than Renji. Still… after losing all of their friends, you’d think Renji would be a bit more sensitive. Or perhaps it had only made them colder? Unwilling to take a chance, unwilling to risk letting someone new in only to lose them… You’d never had any friends while you were in Rukongai – none that stuck around, anyway. What was worse? To have been alone for all of your life, or to have friends… and then lose them? It was an answer you doubted you could decide, and doubted even more that you wanted to learn.

You would never get the chance, unless you managed to escape Seireitei. You’d never even make any friends at this rate; you’d be dead before you really got to know much of any of the people you’d met lately. But there was one, single shining ray of hope – the Shinigami Academy was holding entrance exams in two days. You’d heard it from a passing conversation someone else had been having, until they’d noticed you eavesdropping. There was no doubt in your mind – you had to go there, had to be able to succeed. If you didn’t… well, you weren’t certain that you’d make it to the next one.

As you lay your head down on your pillow, you cleared your mind. The last thing you needed was a night full of dark dreams and curiosities. You felt your mind slowly slipping away as you faded into the realm of dreams. You knew only one thing – tomorrow, you were going to…

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 178**

**Find the two you met earlier: Go to Chapter 179**


	90. Chapter 90

Hell with it. Renji could deal with it, you’d found a home with more people, maybe even people you’d like to call friends. Just having others to watch your back in case of the random muggings that were not nearly uncommon enough for your tastes was enough to make you glad to put up with Renji’s snarkiness. Getting to prepare for an entrance examination was just extra.

“I’d… I’d really love to stay here,” you said, nodding your head. “I hadn’t been told that there were entrance examinations coming up. I really want to become a Shinigami too, so let’s all become one together!”

Rukia smiled and nodded at you, while Renji just huffed and turned away. He threw his blanket over him and was asleep in only a few more moments, or at least was doing a good enough impersonation to keep Rukia from shouting anything at him.

“Just ignore him,” Rukia said, in a calm and quiet tone. “He’s not very trusting of new people.”

“I don’t blame him,” you replied. “The Rukongai hasn’t been very kind to very many people.”

She just nodded. “We’re going to head to a quiet part of the Rukongai tomorrow. It’s secluded enough that we should be able to train without anyone interrupting or trying to take advantage of it, but it’s quite a walk, and Renji has been pushing hard to make sure he gets in. We should get some rest. You can take my bed, I’ll-“

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” you interrupted, seeing where it was going fast enough. Such politeness was rare, but you were finding yourself becoming used to it quite quickly. “I don’t even have a bed at my house, except for a sheet, and I don’t use it in this weather. It’ll be just like home.”

Rukia frowned but didn’t try to force you into taking the bed. The two of you said a quick and somewhat awkward goodnight before she curled up reluctantly and you did the same, a few feet away, somewhere between her corner and Renji’s. The last thing that came to your mind was thinking just how lucky you’d been to find a place to stay with new friends for the first time in years… even if one of them was a little antagonistic towards you.

~~~~

The morning light came early, but you wouldn’t know. You were up before sunrise, when a foot landed square in the side of your ribs.

“Gu-hoah!” You coughed up as you rolled over, violently awakened from what had otherwise been the most peaceful night of sleep you’d had in a while.

“Wake up! We’re moving out, and we’re sleeping at the training grounds. Grab all the bread you can carry, and don’t eat any!”

The gruff tone could come from none other than Renji, who had you up and grabbing things in moments. He carried both of the sleeping mats and a small portion of the bread supply. It was much smaller than it had been the day before, even with what was in his arms, so you assumed Rukia had taken some as well. Why she had left alone, you weren’t certain.

You grumbled, but didn’t say anything to Renji. You were going to be training with the man, and you didn’t want him to be in an even worse mood. Besides, you doubted that he was going to relent no matter what you said anyway, and you weren’t going to leave. You gathered up as much of the bread as you could safely carry and started toward the door. Renji had already left, and there were only two or three loaves remaining, so you didn’t bother to cover them up again. You probably would’ve dropped them all anyway.

When you made your way out the door, you found out quickly why it was that Rukia had left early. She was on her way back, carrying three large pieces of wood in her hand.

“I found an old man willing to sell these. He said he used to train in his days, but he never made it into the Academy. They’re a little worn, but I only had a few loaves, and we only need them to last a day.”

Renji nodded at her. “I woke up the deep sleeper for us. Guess if you’ve got three swords, may as well have three people, can’t hurt.”

Rukia rolled her eyes, but said nothing. You were too focused on the swords to respond to anything either of them said. Rukia said that they were worn, but aside from a few scratches and pieces missing from the outside, there didn’t look like there was much damage at all. For the Rukongai they were practically pristine.

Rukia smiled at you. “We’ve been training mostly by surviving, but Renji thought if we really wanted to impress them we should at least have a little experience holding a sword.”

“Of course we should! This way the rest of our competition look like a bunch of slackers.” Renji pointed his clenched hand down a street with one finger extended, a determined look on his face. “Now let’s get going! The forest awaits.”

Renji started to march off, but Rukia stayed where she was. For several seconds she looked like she was completely baffled, but then finally she spoke up.

“Uh… Renji, it’s this way,” Rukia said loudly, pointing down another street.

“What?!” Renji turned, shouting. “I know which way we went when we left for it last time! We went north, then east!”

“Nope,” Rukia said simply, a smug smile coming over her face. “It was southeast, then west down a side road.”

“Listen here, Rukia, I’m getting tired of you never listening to me, especially about this idiot,” Renji said, hiking his thumb toward you. You narrowed your eyes together but stayed silent for the moment. “Just trust me on this one?”

“Sorry, I don’t trust people who are _wrong_ ,” Rukia said giving Renji a raspberry. He growled, and opened his mouth to shout something else at her.

You could tell that this was not going to be settled easily. They were both stubborn enough to refuse to back down, but friendly enough to not walk away from each other. You were going to have to say something if this was going to be resolved quickly, assuming they would even listen to you.

**Agree with Renji: Go to Chapter 180**

**Agree with Rukia: Go to Chapter 181**


	91. Chapter 91

“Sorry, but I really need to get home,” you lied innocently. There really wasn’t a need for you to be home, it’s not as though you had any valuables you’d left unattended or other such things. But you weren’t going to stick around here, either. Renji’s constant frustration and the fact that you barely knew these two was not something you were comfortable trying to remedy, and you weren’t going to stay here while maintaining that.

Rukia looked a bit saddened, while Renji’s grin was so wide that it could’ve split his head if it widened much further. Still, Rukia didn’t try to stop you.

“Okay, well… be careful,” she warned as she walked to a corner of the room. “Maybe we’ll see you again.”

“Maybe, if we all make it into the Academy,” you said with a small smile.

“Good luck,” Renji snorted. Still, he made no further comments, and he honestly seemed to be in a brighter mood just to know you were leaving. The ass.

You said your final goodbyes and ventured out into the streets, lit by the fading light of the evening sun. The Academy entrance exams… perhaps your only shot at getting out of the Rukongai, once and for all. You knew that you had to try to make it, even if you hadn’t done much in the way of training. The Rukongai was getting harder to live in every day, as those who had enough food and shelter got stronger, and the toil day after day began to wear on your body and mind.

When you arrived home, the night had arrived but was still young. As you stared out into the streets, the sounds of a few people wandering out into the cool night air greeted you. You didn’t plan to be here for long, you had no desire… but as you were now, you weren’t certain how far you could make it toward becoming a Shinigami. You had one day to prepare, and one day only. Tomorrow you would have to prepare yourself for whatever trials lay ahead of you, because the day after that… the Academy awaited.

As you lay down, your mind couldn’t help but think of the two who had, albeit inadvertently and in one case unwillingly, aided you. They had fed you and offered you a home, and although you hadn’t accepted, it was probably the kindest thing you’d seen in years of Rukongai life. Those two were certainly something. Perhaps you’d even run into them again soon. Maybe they would enter the Academy too, one day.

Before long, you realized that your eyes were drooping shut despite your best efforts. As you fell asleep, one last thought crossed your mind – first thing in the morning, you were going to…

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 182**

**Find those two kids again: Go to Chapter 183**


	92. Chapter 92

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had earlier that morning with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 184**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 185**


	93. Chapter 93

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You wanted to take a last look around, as this might very well be the last time that you got to see the Rukongai for quite some time. You doubted that they let the students of the Shinigami Academy simply wander around.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“N-no,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 186**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 187**


	94. Chapter 94

There was an area to the north of your house that had a lot of undeveloped lots, places that there were no houses on. Sometimes, the denizens of Rukongai moved in and used them as their own personal grounds, those who were so unfortunate they didn’t even have a roof over their heads. Still, there were a lot less people there, and you were sure you’d be able to find a block with plenty of empty space to train in.

You set out, and realized after several minutes that you had vastly underestimated the distance you would need to travel. As you approached the undeveloped land, vast areas of citizens in tents entered your vision. It was worse than you had ever seen the area – not only were there no lots without people occupying them, but the makeshift tents were crammed closer together than you had ever seen them. As you walked by, ragged and rather vicious looking Rukongai denizens poked their heads out. When they realized you were little better off than they were, their heads disappeared again. You wondered how well off one had to be before even entering this part of the Rukongai was dangerous. Surely they wouldn’t try anything so openly… right?

 _”How bad has the Rukongai gotten?”_ Suddenly you were much more appreciative of having a roof – even one with so many holes.

After another half an hour of walking you eventually did find an area where there was a large, clear space between tents. Here it seemed as if the people had not been willing to spread yet, wanting to stay closer to the stalls and Seireitei itself. You looked around and made sure you hadn’t been followed, or that someone wasn’t watching you, and began to do every exercise you could think of. 

You dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around your open space.

But you made the most of the space that you had, and were able to train quite effectively thanks to it. While you got a few odd glances, most people were quickly able to pick up on what it was that you were doing, and for the most part left you alone after a time. With plenty of room to run, you were able to work on your speed in particular. Oddly enough, it actually felt like you were growing faster – but that was crazy, right? How much good could one day of training be?

You were so invested in your training, so caught up in how much better you felt, you actually lost track of time. Suddenly, you were laying on the ground panting, and the sun was setting in the distance. You were glad you hadn’t had anything to bring with you, or else you were certain someone would’ve looted it off of your exhausted body by now. You had to sit there for several minutes, staring at the fading sun, as your body got in decent enough condition for you to be able to crawl up and limp home.

Eventually, you did manage to regain your feet. You staggered like a drunk, but you were eventually able to find your way back home, although the walk took twice as long as it had been on the way there and so the sun had long since set by the time you arrived. 

You laid your head down and idly wondered about what it was that you would encounter at the entrance exams. The Shinigami Academy was certainly not meant to be a cakewalk to enter, but… you had to believe that you could make it. You felt great, like your chances were actually pretty good.

You would just have to find out. Now it was time to sleep, but tomorrow…

Tomorrow decided your fate.

**Go to Chapter 188**


	95. Chapter 95

The forest was a bit farther away than you remembered the lots being, but on the other hand they were also more isolated and gave you a better chance to train in peace without worrying about anyone or anything coming along and taking advantage of you.

That in mind you quickly set off, walking to the south with purpose. The streets were bustling now, with the myriad of people who had come out to enjoy today’s far milder weather either ignoring you completely or only acknowledging you enough to step out of your way. Even the peddlers running their stalls ignored you when they saw that you were only a lone child with little to offer them in exchange for their wares. All that was fine with you; you wouldn’t have stopped to talk with them anyway. You had better things to do – like securing your future.

When you arrived at the forest, though, you realized not all of the commotion was gone. You couldn’t see anyone yet, but it sounded like there were voices around. As you stepped farther and farther into the woods, you eventually found the source of the disturbance… in two very familiar faces.

“I told you this was the right way to go. If you had listened to me we could’ve been here earlier.”

The voice of the girl who you had risked your body for only the day before rang out in your ears. You walked forward quickly and found not only her, but the hotheaded redhead who had accompanied her.

“You just got lucky! With all the moving around we’ve been doing there’s no way any sane person could keep track of all this,” Renji grumbled. “Not that it matters. You may have gotten us here, but as far as the actual training you’re still miles behind!”

Rukia looked like she was about to make a reply, when her eyes shifted over Renji’s shoulder and caught yours. “Hey, it’s you!”

Renji turned and grunted as he saw you as well. He didn’t look that angry, but a brief look of surprise did cross his features. “So it is. What the hell are you doing way out here?”

You looked between the both of them, unsure who to address. “Well, I came out here to train… I heard about the entrance exams for the Shinigami Academy. I wanted to spend as much time training as I could today, so that maybe I could have a chance at getting in.”

Renji laughed and flexed a fairly flat arm at you. “Fat chance! We’ve been training for weeks, so we’ll get in with no problems, but you’re welcome to give it a shot. Makes the rest of us look good.”

Rukia sighed and shook her head at Renji before returning her gaze to you, minus the disapproval. “You should join us. You had quite the reflexes the last time we met, and it can only help us all to have more training partners.”

Renji turned his eyes over you a few times, and this time actually made you a little uncomfortable. Instead of just straight-out dismissing you like he usually seemed to be, he was actually gauging you and trying to figure out how much use you’d be to him. His response made up for it though, a little.

“Can’t hurt, I suppose. You don’t look like much, but neither does anyone else around the Rukongai these days. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to show you how strong a future Captain is before he even enters the school!”

You looked up, and saw that the sun was already on a downward descent. The long walk here had cost you a decent part of the day. It wasn’t that significant, but by the time you got back, you probably wouldn’t have enough hours left before sunset to find a new training ground and use it. Considering how nervous you were about even getting in with good training, there was no way you would take that chance, so you were definitely sticking around one way or another. But did you want to join these two, or would you rather stick it out alone?

**Train alone: Go to Chapter 189**

**Join with them: Go to Chapter 190**


	96. Chapter 96

“I… I guess I wouldn’t mind sleeping in your room, Lady Yoruichi…”

With as little as you knew about her, you were still shocked to see the blush that started to form on Yoruichi’s cheeks. But before you could do much more than notice it she broke it by concentrating on something else. Like nailing your shoulder.

“Why, someone’s quite the little pervert, aren’t they!” Yoruichi said as her fist met your shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise. You winced, but forced yourself not to grip the wounded shoulder out of pride. Even Kisuke was wearing a wide grin, his surprise just evident above that calm demeanor of his.

“Indeed. Quite shameless, too,” Kisuke said with a completely serious tone.

You sighed, but said nothing, too embarrassed now that you’d fallen for their ploy.

“Hmm hmmm, sorry, but there’s no way we could put anyone in the Shihoin quarters without being discovered, even if we wanted to,” she said. “Otherwise I’d probably have been making Kisuke keep me company. Not that I don’t appreciate the offer,” she said with a wink.

“I’m afraid this is where Lady Shihoin will be leaving us for the night,” Kisuke said with an emphasis on the title that was clearly the appropriate one. Yoruichi frowned at the name but didn’t correct him. You made a mental note to address her like that, at least for as long as you were on the grounds of her family.

“Don’t get caught now, Kisuke. I’d hate to see you get fired after we made it all the way heeere,” she said as she walked away. Though she addressed him by name, she threw a last look at you and smirked before turning around. When you looked back to Kisuke he showed no sign of anything out of the ordinary, and instead gestured down the hall.

“The quarter for the Shihoin family’s servants is this way. We don’t have far to go, so stay close and we can have a well-deserved rest soon.”

Kisuke told you the truth – within minutes, the both of you were at his room. While it was fairly simple, with a bit of effort he was able to create a pile of his things in one corner that provided enough cover for you to sleep in without being discovered by anyone who happened to walk by and open his door. Fortunately he was the Lady Shihoin’s closest friend and a fairly high ranking member of their staff, which meant that he had enough furniture to make it work. You’d passed several rooms that were considerably more barren.

Kisuke explained little else before the two of you were sound asleep. Your mind filled your dreams with vivid recollections of the day, sometimes twisted from reality and sometimes almost perfect replicas. You couldn’t help but to feel somewhat overwhelmed by all that had happened to you in a single day. So when you were finally awoken, it was a bit of a relief.

**Go to Chapter 191**


	97. Chapter 97

“It would probably be best if I slept in Kisuke’s room, right?” You asked, scratching the back of your head. It was kind of odd that they had been able to sneak you in; it was outright unthinkable you could be dozing off in the heiress’ bedroom and no one would be the wiser. 

Yoruichi started to frown, but it was gone so quickly you couldn’t be sure it was there at all. “Well, yes. Kisuke sleeps near my room, anyway, so neither of you will be that far away. He’ll make you a place to stay, and then the two of you can get ready for tomorrow.”

You nodded, and she gave a final glance at Kisuke.

“Don’t get caught now, Kisuke. I’d hate to see you get fired after we made it all the way heeere,” she said as she walked away. When you looked back to Kisuke he was smiling at you, gesturing down the opposite end of the hallway.

“The quarter for the Shihoin family’s servants is this way. We don’t have far to go, so stay close and we can have a well-deserved rest soon. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of fun being roommates.”

You gave him a sidelong glance. Kisuke seemed a bit… odd, at times. He was smiling most of the time, but you could never quite tell whether it was actually a joke or serious. He was very hard to read when he wanted to be.

Kisuke told you the truth – within minutes, the both of you were at his room. While it was fairly simple, with a bit of effort he was able to create a pile of his things in one corner that provided enough cover for you to sleep in without being discovered by anyone who happened to walk by and open his door. Fortunately he was the Lady Shihoin’s closest friend and a fairly high ranking member of their staff, which meant that he had enough furniture to make it work. You’d passed several rooms that were considerably more barren.

Kisuke explained little else before the two of you were sound asleep. Your mind filled your dreams with vivid recollections of the day, sometimes twisted from reality and sometimes almost perfect replicas. You couldn’t help but to feel somewhat overwhelmed by all that had happened to you in a single day. So when you were finally awoken, it was a bit of a relief.

**Go to Chapter 192**


	98. Chapter 98

You turned off onto another road and tried your best to remember where the house was. You hadn’t actually visited it in several weeks, not since the last time you had to travel to find an easy mark to steal food from.

Well, you had left it in good enough condition that surely they wouldn’t have deteriorated too much, or so you hoped anyway. With how late it was getting you had to deal with it, whatever it was like; anything was better than the streets, and that was going to be your only other option in a few minutes.

Despite the amount of time it had been since you last visited the place, it was actually only a short distance later that you began to recognize landmarks. A few minutes later and you were already there.

The building actually looked like it was in very good shape – pretty rare considering that when a building went without an owner it was usually left to dilapidate. In the hot and often humid weather of Soul Society summers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to fall apart if they were ever vacant for extended periods of time.

Walking inside, there were no signs of degradation at all. You smiled a little to see your old friend’s house holding together so well, and started toward a corner to make as best of a bed as you could.

You were stopped, however, when the wooden blade of a sword was pressed to your throat.

“What do you think you’re doing in my house, eh?” A mocking tone to the voice told you that whoever it was didn’t hold you as much of a threat. You cursed yourself for not checking to see if someone was inside. Just because there were no possessions didn’t mean anything considering how poor most people were.

“I… I was just-“

“You were just leavin’, right?”

You sighed as the blade was taken away. He didn’t stop staring at you though, and he never loosened his grip.

“This house was my friend’s, a long time ago. I’ve been using it ever since,” you said simply, trying to find a way to reason with this guy after you’d made such a first impression.

“Bullshit,” he said calmly, flourishing his sword once. “This place was empty when I got here. Quit makin’ up stories or I’ll beat you all the way to the eightieth district.”

“He left this place a long time ago, said he was going to get into Seireitei if it killed him. Maybe it did. I come here when I need to escape my own district for a while,” you said, still not moving away.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond bangs. “Tch… fine, whatever. I’m only crashing here for another day anyway. Come back in two days and it’ll be all yours.”

You sighed, and shook your head. “No good… I hope. I won’t be around here in two days. I’m going to the entrance exams as the Academy.” You were starting to feel a little silly, standing your ground against someone with a weapon, but he seemed so far to be rather lax about the whole situation. Something about him didn’t seem overly dangerous. Strong, yes, but not out to cause harm.

“You?” The man let out a snort. “Couldn’t even notice a guy standin’ right in front of ya. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem much like Shinigami material to me.”

You huffed, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t exactly your strongest moment. When neither of you said anything for several seconds, a slightly annoyed look came over the blonde’s face.

“Look, ya want a place to stay? Go find the empty house three blocks south of here. I only moved out of there cause I was tired of my neighbor anyway. Go on, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

You thought about arguing more, but he wasn’t giving any ground, even if he wasn’t being cruel about it.

“Thanks… I guess,” you said as you turned to the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the blonde muttered, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

You shook your head and made your way toward the empty house. You didn’t have much of a choice; the other kid seemed far more prepared for a fight, and he actually had a weapon, as non-lethal as it was.

The house was in cruddier condition, but overall wasn’t that much of a downgrade. You were only going to have to sleep here twice, with any luck, so it wasn’t like you were going to need it in the long haul.

You padded the ground until you found a spot that was comparatively soft to the rest of it and quickly set yourself down. There wasn’t much point in staying awake longer, but as you fell asleep, you couldn’t help but to have one thought…

**”I should talk to that blonde kid again”: Go to Chapter 193**

**“I need to train”: Go to Chapter 194**


	99. Chapter 99

You decided that in the end it was just easier to sleep on the street. You hadn’t been to the house in weeks, not since the last time you needed to find new marks to steal from when all the ones In your area grew too wary for a time. The house might be occupied; hell, it might even be in the process of falling apart. Buildings without owners in Soul Society often rotted away with little to nothing done about it; some were even torn down for the firewood in winters.

You searched until you found a suitably dark corner where there were enough boxes and rubbish to hide yourself within, so that anyone who passed through the alley wouldn’t notice the young child sleeping unless they were looking particularly closely in the moonlight. Then you built yourself a small shelter out of what there was that didn’t seem particularly filthy, and rested your head against the building. You got the feeling that sleep was still a ways off.

~~~~~

“Heeeeey! Are you dead?”

You were awoken quite rudely, with a bit of a pain in your face. You blinked your eyes against the sunlight streaming into the alley from above and quickly discovered why.

A strange young girl with green hair was pulling at your cheeks. She smiled as your eyes opened up and gave you a cheer.

“Yay! He’s aliiiive!”

“What the hell…” you mumbled as you rubbed at your eyes, inadvertently knocking some of the refuse away from you.

“No, silly, this is Soul Society! Are you new here?” 

You looked at this woman a bit oddly… she was definitely one of the more interesting characters that you had meant in the Rukongai, that was certain.

She must have seen the look that you gave her. “Oh, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’mmmmm Mashiro Kuna! Superhero Shinigami Savior of Soul Society!”

She struck a pose and you looked at her with a great deal of skepticism. “You’re… a Shinigami?”

“No, but I could be! Easy! I’m going to the Shinigami Academy tomorrow!” She puffed out her cheeks and you got the impression that she had become offended by your simple question.

“Okay... well, I’m just going to leave now…” you said as you brushed the rest of your pile away to clear a path and started to move away from the strange woman. You had to start thinking of how to prepare yourself today, how to-

“NOOOO! You can’t leave, I saved you! You owe me!” She squealed before you could even _start_ thinking.

You gave her a sigh. Clearly she was not going to leave you alone so easily. You needed to prepare for the Shinigami Academy exams, but… you were going to have to do something about her.

**Invite her along with you: Go to Chapter 195**

**Distract her and leave: Go to Chapter 196**


	100. Chapter 100

You turned off onto another road and tried your best to remember where the house was. You hadn’t actually visited it in several weeks, not since the last time you had to travel to find an easy mark to steal food from.

You were glad that you had been able to help the nobles. They seemed like decent people; hell, great, when you compared them to your stuffy and “proper” vision of nobles that you’d held for a lot of your life. It would have been sad if they had gotten in trouble just for being themselves. Even if your encounter with them had ended with you needing to find a place to live that _wasn’t_ a pile of rubble… unless, of course, it was by now.

Well, you had left it in good enough condition that surely they wouldn’t have deteriorated too much, or so you hoped anyway. With how late it was getting you had to deal with it, whatever it was like; anything was better than the streets, and that was going to be your only other option in a few minutes.

Despite the amount of time it had been since you last visited the place, it was actually only a short distance later that you began to recognize landmarks. A few minutes later and you were already there.

The building actually looked like it was in very good shape – pretty rare considering that when a building went without an owner it was usually left to dilapidate. In the hot and often humid weather of Soul Society summers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to fall apart if they were ever vacant for extended periods of time.

Walking inside, there were no signs of degradation at all. You smiled a little to see your old friend’s house holding together so well, and started toward a corner to make as best of a bed as you could.

You were stopped, however, when the wooden blade of a sword was pressed to your throat.

“What do you think you’re doing in my house, eh?” A mocking tone to the voice told you that whoever it was didn’t hold you as much of a threat. You cursed yourself for not checking to see if someone was inside. Just because there were no possessions didn’t mean anything considering how poor most people were.

“I… I was just-“

“You were just leavin’, right?”

You sighed as the blade was taken away. He didn’t stop staring at you though, and he never loosened his grip.

“This house was my friend’s, a long time ago. I’ve been using it ever since,” you said simply, trying to find a way to reason with this guy after you’d made such a first impression.

“Bullshit,” he said calmly, flourishing his sword once. “This place was empty when I got here. Quit makin’ up stories or I’ll beat you all the way to the eightieth district.”

“He left this place a long time ago, said he was going to get into Seireitei if it killed him. Maybe it did. I come here when I need to escape my own district for a while,” you said, still not moving away.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond bangs. “Tch… fine, whatever. I’m only crashing here for another day anyway. Come back in two days and it’ll be all yours.”

You sighed, and shook your head. “No good… I hope. I won’t be around here in two days. I’m going to the entrance exams as the Academy.” You were starting to feel a little silly, standing your ground against someone with a weapon, but he seemed so far to be rather lax about the whole situation. Something about him didn’t seem overly dangerous. Strong, yes, but not out to cause harm.

“You?” The man let out a snort. “Couldn’t even notice a guy standin’ right in front of ya. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem much like Shinigami material to me.”

You huffed, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t exactly your strongest moment. When neither of you said anything for several seconds, a slightly annoyed look came over the blonde’s face.

“Look, ya want a place to stay? Go find the empty house three blocks south of here. I only moved out of there cause I was tired of my neighbor anyway. Go on, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

You thought about arguing more, but he wasn’t giving any ground, even if he wasn’t being cruel about it.

“Thanks… I guess,” you said as you turned to the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the blonde muttered, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

You shook your head and made your way toward the empty house. You didn’t have much of a choice; the other kid seemed far more prepared for a fight, and he actually had a weapon, as non-lethal as it was.

The house was in cruddier condition, but overall wasn’t that much of a downgrade. You were only going to have to sleep here twice, with any luck, so it wasn’t like you were going to need it in the long haul.

You padded the ground until you found a spot that was comparatively soft to the rest of it and quickly set yourself down. There wasn’t much point in staying awake longer, but as you fell asleep, you couldn’t help but to have one thought…

**”I should talk to that blonde kid again,”: Go to Chapter 197**

**“I need to train,”: Go to Chapter 198**


	101. Chapter 101

You decided that in the end it was just easier to sleep on the street. You hadn’t been to the house in weeks, not since the last time you needed to find new marks to steal from when all the ones In your area grew too wary for a time. The house might be occupied; hell, it might even be in the process of falling apart. Buildings without owners in Soul Society often rotted away with little to nothing done about it; some were even torn down for the firewood in winters.

You were glad that you had been able to help the nobles. They seemed like decent people; hell, great, when you compared them to your stuffy and “proper” vision of nobles that you’d held for a lot of your life. It would have been sad if they had gotten in trouble just for being themselves. Even if your encounter with them had ended with you finding a place out in the open where you could sleep without being attacked.

You searched until you found a suitably dark corner where there were enough boxes and rubbish to hide yourself within, so that anyone who passed through the alley wouldn’t notice the young child sleeping unless they were looking particularly closely in the moonlight. Then you built yourself a small shelter out of what there was that didn’t seem particularly filthy, and rested your head against the building. You got the feeling that sleep was still a ways off.

~~~~~

“Heeeeey! Are you dead?”

You were awoken quite rudely, with a bit of a pain in your face. You blinked your eyes against the sunlight streaming into the alley from above and quickly discovered why.

A strange young girl with green hair was pulling at your cheeks. She smiled as your eyes opened up and gave you a cheer.

“Yay! He’s aliiiive!”

“What the hell…” you mumbled as you rubbed at your eyes, inadvertently knocking some of the refuse away from you.

“No, silly, this is Soul Society! Are you new here?” 

You looked at this woman a bit oddly… she was definitely one of the more interesting characters that you had meant in the Rukongai, that was certain.

She must have seen the look that you gave her. “Oh, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’mmmmm Mashiro Kuna! Superhero Shinigami Savior of Soul Society!”

She struck a pose and you looked at her with a great deal of skepticism. “You’re… a Shinigami?”

“No, but I could be! Easy! I’m going to the Shinigami Academy tomorrow!” She puffed out her cheeks and you got the impression that she had become offended by your simple question.

“Okay... well, I’m just going to leave now…” you said as you brushed the rest of your pile away to clear a path and started to move away from the strange woman. You had to start thinking of how to prepare yourself today, how to-

“NOOOO! You can’t leave, I saved you! You owe me!” She squealed before you could even _start_ thinking.

You gave her a sigh. Clearly she was not going to leave you alone so easily. You needed to prepare for the Shinigami Academy exams, but… you were going to have to do something about her.

**Invite her along with you: Go to Chapter 199**

**Distract her and leave: Go to Chapter 200**


	102. Chapter 102

You turned off onto another road and tried your best to remember where the house was. You hadn’t actually visited it in several weeks, not since the last time you had to travel to find an easy mark to steal food from.

Well, you had left it in good enough condition that surely they wouldn’t have deteriorated too much, or so you hoped anyway. With how late it was getting you had to deal with it, whatever it was like; anything was better than the streets, and that was going to be your only other option in a few minutes.

Despite the amount of time it had been since you last visited the place, it was actually only a short distance later that you began to recognize landmarks. A few minutes later and you were already there.

The building actually looked like it was in very good shape – pretty rare considering that when a building went without an owner it was usually left to dilapidate. In the hot and often humid weather of Soul Society summers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to fall apart if they were ever vacant for extended periods of time.

Walking inside, there were no signs of degradation at all. You smiled a little to see your old friend’s house holding together so well, and started toward a corner to make as best of a bed as you could.

You were stopped, however, when the wooden blade of a sword was pressed to your throat.

“What do you think you’re doing in my house, eh?” A mocking tone to the voice told you that whoever it was didn’t hold you as much of a threat. You cursed yourself for not checking to see if someone was inside. Just because there were no possessions didn’t mean anything considering how poor most people were.

“I… I was just-“

“You were just leavin’, right?”

You sighed as the blade was taken away. He didn’t stop staring at you though, and he never loosened his grip.

“This house was my friend’s, a long time ago. I’ve been using it ever since,” you said simply, trying to find a way to reason with this guy after you’d made such a first impression.

“Bullshit,” he said calmly, flourishing his sword once. “This place was empty when I got here. Quit makin’ up stories or I’ll beat you all the way to the eightieth district.”

“He left this place a long time ago, said he was going to get into Seireitei if it killed him. Maybe it did. I come here when I need to escape my own district for a while,” you said, still not moving away.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond bangs. “Tch… fine, whatever. I’m only crashing here for another day anyway. Come back in two days and it’ll be all yours.”

You sighed, and shook your head. “No good… I hope. I won’t be around here in two days. I’m going to the entrance exams as the Academy.” You were starting to feel a little silly, standing your ground against someone with a weapon, but he seemed so far to be rather lax about the whole situation. Something about him didn’t seem overly dangerous. Strong, yes, but not out to cause harm.

“You?” The man let out a snort. “Couldn’t even notice a guy standin’ right in front of ya. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem much like Shinigami material to me.”

You huffed, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t exactly your strongest moment. When neither of you said anything for several seconds, a slightly annoyed look came over the blonde’s face.

“Look, ya want a place to stay? Go find the empty house three blocks south of here. I only moved out of there cause I was tired of my neighbor anyway. Go on, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

You thought about arguing more, but he wasn’t giving any ground, even if he wasn’t being cruel about it.

“Thanks… I guess,” you said as you turned to the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the blonde muttered, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

You shook your head and made your way toward the empty house. You didn’t have much of a choice; the other kid seemed far more prepared for a fight, and he actually had a weapon, as non-lethal as it was.

The house was in cruddier condition, but overall wasn’t that much of a downgrade. You were only going to have to sleep here twice, with any luck, so it wasn’t like you were going to need it in the long haul.

You padded the ground until you found a spot that was comparatively soft to the rest of it and quickly set yourself down. There wasn’t much point in staying awake longer, but as you fell asleep, you couldn’t help but to have one thought…

**”I should talk to that blonde kid again,”: Go to Chapter 201**

**“I need to train”: Go to Chapter 202**


	103. Chapter 103

You decided that in the end it was just easier to sleep on the street. You hadn’t been to the house in weeks, not since the last time you needed to find new marks to steal from when all the ones In your area grew too wary for a time. The house might be occupied; hell, it might even be in the process of falling apart. Buildings without owners in Soul Society often rotted away with little to nothing done about it; some were even torn down for the firewood in winters.

You searched until you found a suitably dark corner where there were enough boxes and rubbish to hide yourself within, so that anyone who passed through the alley wouldn’t notice the young child sleeping unless they were looking particularly closely in the moonlight. Then you built yourself a small shelter out of what there was that didn’t seem particularly filthy, and rested your head against the building. You got the feeling that sleep was still a ways off.

~~~~~

“Heeeeey! Are you dead?”

You were awoken quite rudely, with a bit of a pain in your face. You blinked your eyes against the sunlight streaming into the alley from above and quickly discovered why.

A strange young girl with green hair was pulling at your cheeks. She smiled as your eyes opened up and gave you a cheer.

“Yay! He’s aliiiive!”

“What the hell…” you mumbled as you rubbed at your eyes, inadvertently knocking some of the refuse away from you.

“No, silly, this is Soul Society! Are you new here?” 

You looked at this woman a bit oddly… she was definitely one of the more interesting characters that you had meant in the Rukongai, that was certain.

She must have seen the look that you gave her. “Oh, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’mmmmm Mashiro Kuna! Superhero Shinigami Savior of Soul Society!”

She struck a pose and you looked at her with a great deal of skepticism. “You’re… a Shinigami?”

“No, but I could be! Easy! I’m going to the Shinigami Academy tomorrow!” She puffed out her cheeks and you got the impression that she had become offended by your simple question.

“Okay... well, I’m just going to leave now…” you said as you brushed the rest of your pile away to clear a path and started to move away from the strange woman. You had to start thinking of how to prepare yourself today, how to-

“NOOOO! You can’t leave, I saved you! You owe me!” She squealed before you could even _start_ thinking.

You gave her a sigh. Clearly she was not going to leave you alone so easily. You needed to prepare for the Shinigami Academy exams, but… you were going to have to do something about her.

**Invite her along with you: Go to Chapter 203**

**Distract her and leave: Go to Chapter 204**


	104. Chapter 104

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. 

However, while Rukongai citizens knew surprisingly little about the examinations beyond the obvious, you soon found someone who would certainly know more…

~~~~

“Th-there’s really no need to thank me. I just hope you’ll find these a little more comfortable.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much. I didn’t… I didn’t know how we would make it, when winter comes it’s always so-“

“Really, now, it’s nothing. I only wish we could do more.”

The sight that you stumbled upon was unusual, and completely unexpected. Those words were exchanged between three people – an aged woman, not yet elderly; a young girl, no more than ten, and a Shinigami. No, more than that, a _Shinigami Captain_. You recognized the haori he was wearing, more from tales that you had heard than any personal experience. Your eyes widened as he gave a little wave to the family and turned away. You were so shocked it took you several seconds before you started after him, shouting down the street, not particularly caring who heard.

Several people stared at you, but thankfully one of them was the Shinigami in question. He looked at you with a bit of surprise, but mostly curiosity. He was probably used to being called over by children.

“Yes, is there something I can do for you?”

You stopped as you came within a few feet of him, and tried to straighten your thoughts. You didn’t want to appear foolish in front of one of the few Shinigami that you’d seen, much less one you were about to ask for assistance.

“I… I’m going to be taking the Shinigami Academy examinations tomorrow!”

He smiled, even though you hadn’t said what you needed to yet. “That’s great. I’m sure you will make a fine Shinigami.”

You shook your head frantically. “No, that’s not why I came here. I wanted to ask if you could help me, somehow. If you knew anything about the examination that would help me.”

He nodded and looked at you seriously for a few moments. You couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable; it was like he was scrutinizing your very being.

After a few seconds he put his hand to his chin and looked at you seriously. “You have potential. Your spirit is strong, but… you need training to really prove that in the examinations. If you can prove that you have the drive and ability to grow stronger, that should be enough for them to accept you.”

You sighed and looked down, a bit saddened that his advice was essentially just growing stronger. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you’d hoped that there would be some kind of trick to becoming a Shinigami that you could find out.

He saw your defeated look and must have mistaken the ideas in your head. “There now, no need to look so down. Even if you don’t make it this time, you can always try again at the next entrance exam. That will give you plenty of time to train.”

“I suppose… thank you, sir,” You said, giving a bow of your head before turning around.

You thought you heard the Shinigami leave, but were surprised when you heard his voice calling out from behind you.

“Perhaps… I could show you something of a Shinigami’s abilities, to help you impress the examiners.”

You turned back toward him, thinking quickly. He was offering to train you? In the manner of a true Shinigami, nonetheless. Could you really pass such a chance up?

**Train with him: Go to Chapter 205**

**Decline the offer: Go to Chapter 206**


	105. Chapter 105

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now that you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 207**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 208**


	106. Chapter 106

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They obviously weren’t Shinigami yet, nobles or no.

However, while Rukongai citizens knew surprisingly little about the examinations beyond the obvious, you soon found someone who would certainly know more…

~~~~

“Th-there’s really no need to thank me. I just hope you’ll find these a little more comfortable.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much. I didn’t… I didn’t know how we would make it, when winter comes it’s always so-“

“Really, now, it’s nothing. I only wish we could do more.”

The sight that you stumbled upon was unusual, and completely unexpected. Those words were exchanged between three people – an aged woman, not yet elderly; a young girl, no more than ten, and a Shinigami. No, more than that, a _Shinigami Captain_. You recognized the haori he was wearing, more from tales that you had heard than any personal experience. Your eyes widened as he gave a little wave to the family and turned away. You were so shocked it took you several seconds before you started after him, shouting down the street, not particularly caring who heard.

Several people stared at you, but thankfully one of them was the Shinigami in question. He looked at you with a bit of surprise, but mostly curiosity. He was probably used to being called over by children.

“Yes, is there something I can do for you?”

You stopped as you came within a few feet of him, and tried to straighten your thoughts. You didn’t want to appear foolish in front of one of the few Shinigami that you’d seen, much less one you were about to ask for assistance.

“I… I’m going to be taking the Shinigami Academy examinations tomorrow!”

He smiled, even though you hadn’t said what you needed to yet. “That’s great. I’m sure you will make a fine Shinigami.”

You shook your head frantically. “No, that’s not why I came here. I wanted to ask if you could help me, somehow. If you knew anything about the examination that would help me.”

He nodded and looked at you seriously for a few moments. You couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable; it was like he was scrutinizing your very being.

After a few seconds he put his hand to his chin and looked at you seriously. “You have potential. Your spirit is strong, but… you need training to really prove that in the examinations. If you can prove that you have the drive and ability to grow stronger, that should be enough for them to accept you.”

You sighed and looked down, a bit saddened that his advice was essentially just growing stronger. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you’d hoped that there would be some kind of trick to becoming a Shinigami that you could find out.

He saw your defeated look and must have mistaken the ideas in your head. “There now, no need to look so down. Even if you don’t make it this time, you can always try again at the next entrance exam. That will give you plenty of time to train.”

“I suppose… thank you, sir,” You said, giving a bow of your head before turning around.

You thought you heard the Shinigami leave, but were surprised when you heard his voice calling out from behind you.

“Perhaps… I could show you something of a Shinigami’s abilities, to help you impress the examiners.”

You turned back toward him, thinking quickly. He was offering to train you? In the manner of a true Shinigami, nonetheless. Could you really pass such a chance up?

**Train with him: Go to Chapter 209**

**Decline the offer: Go to Chapter 210**


	107. Chapter 107

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now that you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 211**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 212**


	108. Chapter 108

You scoured the desert, mind wandering but senses alert. You could almost feel the desert around you, the void that indicated there was nothing to be found for miles. But you had all the time in the world, and little else to do except feed.

The time that had passed since you first gained your independence was slipping away from you when you finally noticed another presence. It was not through sight or sound, but rather the sudden light that seemed to flare up in your mind over the next hill. You lumbered toward it at the same slow pace, not bothering to rush. Your prey had not yet moved, and would not escape you.

When you crested the hill it came into sight, a tall and thin figure with a rounded head. A huge, expressionless mask covered most of its top with a nose that jutted out several yards. It turned as it spotted you and let loose a howl that shook the sands. You barely paused as you continued your leisurely pace.

A Gillian. You didn’t know for certain where the word had come from, but you knew its name, and that it was no match for you. You didn’t need to move toward it any longer; now that it had spotted you the Hollow was surging forward, mouth opening as it lunged toward you.

You put one hand up and gripped the underside of the Hollow’s mask, stopping it instantly. You were pushed back slightly by the force, but as soon as you dug your heels into the sand you regained traction. Curling your fingers into a tight fist you slammed your arm against the Hollow and sent it flying across the sands, a massive crack appearing in its mask.

Shaking your head at the futility of the beast’s efforts, you began to walk forward as your prey cried out in terror.

Or, so you thought.

The Hollow uncurled its neck and revealed a glowing black ball of energy. Your mind flashed another name – but you had no time to comprehend it, as the black mass fired forth and impacted on your chest.

You felt it batter and beat at your skin, tearing flesh away and exposing black blood. You couldn’t block all of its energy, much as you tried, until you managed to force an arm out and into the beam. It faded shortly after you had it under control, as the Hollow once again charged toward you.

Angered, you felt your injured body scream in rage and pain as you thrust yourself forward, impaling your arm through the carapace of the Gillian, ripping downward and tearing the Hollow from mask to ground. It let out one long squeal of pain and fell over.

As you stepped atop the prone corpse and dug your hands in, you pulled free a dark chunk of Hollow flesh. You gave it a toss and began to feast on your conquest.

~~~~~

You were nursing your wounds as you laid back in a cave you’d found not too far from where you’d found the Gillian. You had consumed almost every bit of it – you still weren’t sure how. You felt stronger, as if all the souls and pieces of that Hollow had become part of you instantly. But you were weaker as well; your wounds were healing, but it would take time for them to be better. Next time you would not allow yourself to be so off-guard because of the weakness of your foe… but you would not be safe to hunt again until your bleeding stopped and your arms healed.

Of course, you could always target the humans instead. Their souls were so easy; weak, innocent little meals waiting to be devoured…

**Rest until you are ready to hunt: Go to Chapter 213**

**Prey upon human souls: Go to Chapter 214**


	109. Chapter 109

Hunting could come later. For now, humans were nothing but an easy meal awaiting your arrival. They might as well simply lay themselves out on plates for as weak and pathetic as they were.

You held out a hand, not quite sure of what you were doing, only certain that it was what you needed to do. A gargantuan black portal began to fade in out of thin air, a long tunnel that led to the human world. You eyed it with mild interest, before staring at your hand and contemplating the abilities that you seemed to have. You had seen them, on occasion, when your mind was still but a fragment of a larger whole, but you had never truly felt what it was like to use them. The power was… intoxicating.

You stepped through the portal and licked the mask covering your lips as you thought forward to the meals awaiting you on the other side.

~~~~

The human world was both familiar and foreign to you. You had never been to this town, at least as far as you could remember, but the civilization of humanity drew your eye. But you felt nothing for it; at least, not any more. What drew your eye now were the people. They walked through the streets, into and out of buildings, all while completely oblivious to your presence. You eyed them with distaste, trying to sense out a particular meal. The humans below you all looked unappetizing; you needed a soul. From your perch atop a light pole, you could see that this city was vast. Surely, there was at least one wandering soul somewhere, or a human with particularly high spiritual pressure. For a human, anyway.

Like a scent on the air, you thought for sure that you were heading in the right direction as you turned east and sidled down the street. You were hardly larger than these humans, but you still had to be somewhat careful to avoid them. They could not see you, but they certainly could feel you if you walked into them. You didn’t want to draw unintentional attention… the Shinigami could arrive at any moment. You needed to be quick.

Your stealth and care paid off when you turned into a side street, guided by the faintest of senses in the back of your head. A growl rumbled up from your throat as you set eyes on a spirit, standing and looking sad at the opposite corner. Her eyes rose to you, and then widened in fear. She screamed and began sprinting away, dashing into and through several nearby humans.

Compared to you, she may as well have been crawling. With one long step forward, you lunged, and felt your claws sink into your ethereal prey.

~~~~

Back in Hueco Mundo, you felt your strength increasing. Having fed for the first time in this new form seemed to have made you much stronger, putting you back to full strength. You were powerful, you could feel it; even more powerful than you had been before you awakened and took control of yourself.

You would need to find new food sooner or later, however. The hunger never left you, it only dulled. And in this world, it seemed like there was little to do besides hunt or feed. You would have to choose one.

**Hunt for other Hollows: Go to Chapter 215**

**Prey upon the humans: Go to Chapter 216**


	110. Chapter 110

“I… I can’t say no! Not to that!” You shouted out, smiling brilliantly at the man.

He returned the smile calmly. “Of course not, that would be rude! Now, come along. The day is just about over, and we need to find you a bed.”

You nodded and followed along quickly. The girl that had greeted the Captain smiled understandingly at you, and the three of you trekked toward Seireitei. Your mind was absolutely abuzz with the possibilities. For the first time ever you would be setting foot inside the gates of Seireitei. You just wish that you could find a way to stay there.

~~~~~

“You’re going to be moving into the eighth division headquarters, with me. Unfortunately the barracks are entirely full right now, so we’ll have to dig up one of the spare beds.”

You nodded, totally unfazed by that comment. Perhaps because of the fact that you slept on a pile of dirt back at home.

“But we need to decide what we’re going to do with you. We can’t just let you live in the division forever, as nice as that might sound. We could find you an unoccupied home in a few days, but…”

“But?” You were very uncertain as to the tone of his voice; he sounded hesitant, but a smile was coming across his face once more. If it had ever even left.

“I wonder if you might not be happier trying to become a Shinigami. As I recall, there are examinations in just two days. It’s getting late now, but I think we can get you a chance to apply… if that interests you.”

You nodded vigorously. You had to admit, you weren’t sure if you would be able to become a Shinigami; you weren’t really all that strong, or fast, or… well, you weren’t very much of a Shinigami yet. But this was your chance. You could get out of the Rukongai, maybe even join his squad! Granted, you had no idea what he was like as a Captain, but as a person who would take in a kid off the streets, he already had a few points in your book.

“Well, not much for words, are you?” He said with a chuckle. “No matter.”

A woman bowed in – the same one that you had seen before. She nodded her head to the Captain as she entered the room.

“Captain Shunsui, I prepared the spare bed set. I placed the futon in Nanao’s room, if that’s alright.”

“Thank you Lisa. It will be nice for Nanao have someone here her own age here, even if you’ll both be leaving for the Academy soon.”

He smiled at you , and the confidence he’d had in his tone started to wash through you. Maybe you could do this after all.

“Of course, it won’t be easy, but I have faith in both of you. First thing tomorrow, we’re going to…”

**”…Train you a little before the exam.” Go to Chapter 217**

**“…Show you around the division.” Go to Chapter 218**


	111. Chapter 111

“S-sorry, I just… I don’t know if that’s a good idea. There are plenty of places I can go around here,” you said, wondering if he would listen to you. It wasn’t a common reply, you imagined; most children of the Rukongai would’ve jumped at the chance.

But if he seemed offended, he didn’t show it. He looked a bit perplexed, but touches of understanding crossed his visage.

“Well, if that’s what you think I’m not going to be the one to drag you along. Say, Lisa,” the Captain muttered something as his fellow Shinigami leaned in, too far away for you to hear any of it.

She nodded and said something back, which caused the Captain to smile slightly as he turned to you once more.

“If you can’t find a place, or if you want to get out of the Rukongai after all, come to the Shinigami Academy entrance exams. They’re being held in two days; I’d nearly forgotten. Anyone who doesn’t freeze up when a Hollow comes at them at least has a chance.”

You nodded and gave him your thanks. You couldn’t believe you hadn’t heard about the exams already; such an event was usually big news. Not that you’d spent a lot of time eavesdropping lately, of course.

“Well, I suppose we’re off. Old man Yama is going to want a report after this,” the Captain said, adding a sigh as he suddenly disappeared in a movement so fast you couldn’t catch it. The woman disappeared a moment later, apparently following after him. You returned to your home and gave the wreckage a once-over. It was irreparable, and you were saddened by the loss of the place you had called home. You wondered if you would ever be able to return here, if anyone would bother to rebuild it.

You had other worries, though. Mostly, what you were supposed to do now; you needed to find some other place to stay. Unfortunately, the only reliably empty house that wasn’t in a ridiculously unsafe neighborhood was all the way through Rukongai several districts away, and your only other option was to stay out here on the streets. It was easier, but not necessarily safer, and no telling who you might bump into either way…

**Head to the vacant house: Go to Chapter 219**

**Sleep on the streets: Go to Chapter 220**


	112. Chapter 112

You turned off onto another road and tried your best to remember where the house was. You hadn’t actually visited it in several weeks, not since the last time you had to travel to find an easy mark to steal food from.

Well, you had left it in good enough condition that surely they wouldn’t have deteriorated too much, or so you hoped anyway. With how late it was getting you had to deal with it, whatever it was like; anything was better than the streets, and that was going to be your only other option in a few minutes.

Despite the amount of time it had been since you last visited the place, it was actually only a short distance later that you began to recognize landmarks. A few minutes later and you were already there.

The building actually looked like it was in very good shape – pretty rare considering that when a building went without an owner it was usually left to dilapidate. In the hot and often humid weather of Soul Society summers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to fall apart if they were ever vacant for extended periods of time.

Walking inside, there were no signs of degradation at all. You smiled a little to see your old friend’s house holding together so well, and started toward a corner to make as best of a bed as you could.

You were stopped, however, when the wooden blade of a sword was pressed to your throat.

“What do you think you’re doing in my house, eh?” A mocking tone to the voice told you that whoever it was didn’t hold you as much of a threat. You cursed yourself for not checking to see if someone was inside. Just because there were no possessions didn’t mean anything considering how poor most people were.

“I… I was just-“

“You were just leavin’, right?”

You sighed as the blade was taken away. He didn’t stop staring at you though, and he never loosened his grip.

“This house was my friend’s, a long time ago. I’ve been using it ever since,” you said simply, trying to find a way to reason with this guy after you’d made such a first impression.

“Bullshit,” he said calmly, flourishing his sword once. “This place was empty when I got here. Quit makin’ up stories or I’ll beat you all the way to the eightieth district.”

“He left this place a long time ago, said he was going to get into Seireitei if it killed him. Maybe it did. I come here when I need to escape my own district for a while,” you said, still not moving away.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond bangs. “Tch… fine, whatever. I’m only crashing here for another day anyway. Come back in two days and it’ll be all yours.”

You sighed, and shook your head. “No good… I hope. I won’t be around here in two days. I’m going to the entrance exams as the Academy.” You were starting to feel a little silly, standing your ground against someone with a weapon, but he seemed so far to be rather lax about the whole situation. Something about him didn’t seem overly dangerous. Strong, yes, but not out to cause harm.

“You?” The man let out a snort. “Couldn’t even notice a guy standin’ right in front of ya. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem much like Shinigami material to me.”

You huffed, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t exactly your strongest moment. When neither of you said anything for several seconds, a slightly annoyed look came over the blonde’s face.

“Look, ya want a place to stay? Go find the empty house three blocks south of here. I only moved out of there cause I was tired of my neighbor anyway. Go on, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

You thought about arguing more, but he wasn’t giving any ground, even if he wasn’t being cruel about it.

“Thanks… I guess,” you said as you turned to the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the blonde muttered, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

You shook your head and made your way toward the empty house. You didn’t have much of a choice; the other kid seemed far more prepared for a fight, and he actually had a weapon, as non-lethal as it was.

The house was in cruddier condition, but overall wasn’t that much of a downgrade. You were only going to have to sleep here twice, with any luck, so it wasn’t like you were going to need it in the long haul. Still, it made you reconsider your choice to stay here instead of visiting the Seireitei. Even if it was with a Shinigami, and even if it wasn’t how you wanted to get there… you still kind of welcomed the idea of a bed at that moment.

You padded the ground until you found a spot that was comparatively soft to the rest of it and quickly set yourself down. There wasn’t much point in staying awake longer, but as you fell asleep, you couldn’t help but to have one thought…

**”I should talk to that blonde kid again”: Go to Chapter 221**

**“I need to train”: Go to Chapter 222**


	113. Chapter 113

You decided that in the end it was just easier to sleep on the street. You hadn’t been to the house in weeks, not since the last time you needed to find new marks to steal from when all the ones In your area grew too wary for a time. The house might be occupied; hell, it might even be in the process of falling apart. Buildings without owners in Soul Society often rotted away with little to nothing done about it; some were even torn down for the firewood in winters. Plus, you weren’t exactly used to a life of luxury. If you’d been expecting somewhere comfortable to sleep for the night you would’ve gone with the Shinigami instead of staying out here.

You searched until you found a suitably dark corner where there were enough boxes and rubbish to hide yourself within, so that anyone who passed through the alley wouldn’t notice the young child sleeping unless they were looking particularly closely in the moonlight. Then you built yourself a small shelter out of what there was that didn’t seem particularly filthy, and rested your head against the building. You got the feeling that sleep was still a ways off.

~~~~~

“Heeeeey! Are you dead?”

You were awoken quite rudely, with a bit of a pain in your face. You blinked your eyes against the sunlight streaming into the alley from above and quickly discovered why.

A strange young girl with green hair was pulling at your cheeks. She smiled as your eyes opened up and gave you a cheer.

“Yay! He’s aliiiive!”

“What the hell…” you mumbled as you rubbed at your eyes, inadvertently knocking some of the refuse away from you.

“No, silly, this is Soul Society! Are you new here?” 

You looked at this woman a bit oddly… she was definitely one of the more interesting characters that you had meant in the Rukongai, that was certain.

She must have seen the look that you gave her. “Oh, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’mmmmm Mashiro Kuna! Superhero Shinigami Savior of Soul Society!”

She struck a pose and you looked at her with a great deal of skepticism. “You’re… a Shinigami?”

“No, but I could be! Easy! I’m going to the Shinigami Academy tomorrow!” She puffed out her cheeks and you got the impression that she had become offended by your simple question.

“Okay... well, I’m just going to leave now…” you said as you brushed the rest of your pile away to clear a path and started to move away from the strange woman. You had to start thinking of how to prepare yourself today, how to-

“NOOOO! You can’t leave, I saved you! You owe me!” She squealed before you could even _start_ thinking.

You gave her a sigh. Clearly she was not going to leave you alone so easily. You needed to prepare for the Shinigami Academy exams, but… you were going to have to do something about her.

**Invite her along with you: Go to Chapter 223**

**Distract her and leave: Go to Chapter 224**


	114. Chapter 114

“I… I can’t say no! Not to that!” You shouted out, smiling brilliantly at the man.

He returned the smile calmly. “Of course not, that would be rude! Now, come along. The day is just about over, and we need to find you a bed.”

You nodded and followed along quickly. The girl that had greeted the Captain smiled understandingly at you, and the three of you trekked toward Seireitei. Your mind was absolutely abuzz with the possibilities. For the first time ever you would be setting foot inside the gates of Seireitei. You just wish that you could find a way to stay there.

~~~~~

“You’re going to be moving into the eighth division headquarters, with me. Unfortunately the barracks are entirely full right now, so we’ll have to dig up one of the spare beds.”

You nodded, totally unfazed by that comment. Perhaps because of the fact that you slept on a pile of dirt back at home.

“But we need to decide what we’re going to do with you. We can’t just let you live in the division forever, as nice as that might sound. We could find you an unoccupied home in a few days, but…”

“But?” You were very uncertain as to the tone of his voice; he sounded hesitant, but a smile was coming across his face once more. If it had ever even left.

“I wonder if you might not be happier trying to become a Shinigami. As I recall, there are examinations in just two days. It’s getting late now, but I think we can get you a chance to apply… if that interests you.”

You nodded vigorously. You had to admit, you weren’t sure if you would be able to become a Shinigami; you weren’t really all that strong, or fast, or… well, you weren’t very much of a Shinigami yet. But this was your chance. You could get out of the Rukongai, maybe even join his squad! Granted, you had no idea what he was like as a Captain, but as a person who would take in a kid off the streets, he already had a few points in your book.

“Well, not much for words, are you?” He said with a chuckle. “No matter.”

A woman bowed in – the same one that you had seen before. She nodded her head to the Captain as she entered the room.

“Captain Shunsui, I prepared the spare bed set. I placed the futon in Nanao’s room, if that’s alright.”

“Thank you Lisa. It will be nice for Nanao have someone here her own age here, even if you’ll both be leaving for the Academy soon.”

He smiled at you , and the confidence he’d had in his tone started to wash through you. Maybe you could do this after all.

“Of course, it won’t be easy, but I have faith in both of you. I sensed how you reacted when you saw that Hollow. If you’ve got the courage to stand up to one of those things, you’ll make a Shinigami with no problems. Still, we’ve got a whole day before the exams. First thing tomorrow, we’re going to…”

**”…Train you a little while we can.” Go to Chapter 225**

**“…Show you around the division.” Go to Chapter 226**


	115. Chapter 115

“S-sorry, I just… I don’t know if that’s a good idea. There are plenty of places I can go around here,” you said, wondering if he would listen to you. It wasn’t a common reply, you imagined; most children of the Rukongai would’ve jumped at the chance.

But if he seemed offended, he didn’t show it. He looked a bit perplexed, but touches of understanding crossed his visage.

“Well, if that’s what you think I’m not going to be the one to drag you along. Say, Lisa,” the Captain muttered something as his fellow Shinigami leaned in, too far away for you to hear any of it.

She nodded and said something back, which caused the Captain to smile slightly as he turned to you once more.

“If you can’t find a place, or if you want to get out of the Rukongai after all, come to the Shinigami Academy entrance exams. They’re being held in two days; I’d nearly forgotten. Anyone who doesn’t freeze up when a Hollow comes at them at least has a chance.”

You nodded and gave him your thanks. You couldn’t believe you hadn’t heard about the exams already; such an event was usually big news. Not that you’d spent a lot of time eavesdropping lately, of course.

“Well, I suppose we’re off. Old man Yama is going to want a report after this,” the Captain said, adding a sigh as he suddenly disappeared in a movement so fast you couldn’t catch it. The woman disappeared a moment later, apparently following after him. You returned to your home and gave the wreckage a once-over. It was irreparable, and you were saddened by the loss of the place you had called home. You wondered if you would ever be able to return here, if anyone would bother to rebuild it.

You had other worries, though. Mostly, what you were supposed to do now; you needed to find some other place to stay. Unfortunately, the only reliably empty house that wasn’t in a ridiculously unsafe neighborhood was all the way through Rukongai several districts away, and your only other option was to stay out here on the streets. It was easier, but not necessarily safer, and no telling who you might bump into either way…

**Head to the vacant house: Go to Chapter 227**

**Sleep on the streets: Go to Chapter 228**


	116. Chapter 116

You turned off onto another road and tried your best to remember where the house was. You hadn’t actually visited it in several weeks, not since the last time you had to travel to find an easy mark to steal food from.

Well, you had left it in good enough condition that surely they wouldn’t have deteriorated too much, or so you hoped anyway. With how late it was getting you had to deal with it, whatever it was like; anything was better than the streets, and that was going to be your only other option in a few minutes.

Despite the amount of time it had been since you last visited the place, it was actually only a short distance later that you began to recognize landmarks. A few minutes later and you were already there.

The building actually looked like it was in very good shape – pretty rare considering that when a building went without an owner it was usually left to dilapidate. In the hot and often humid weather of Soul Society summers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to fall apart if they were ever vacant for extended periods of time.

Walking inside, there were no signs of degradation at all. You smiled a little to see your old friend’s house holding together so well, and started toward a corner to make as best of a bed as you could.

You were stopped, however, when the wooden blade of a sword was pressed to your throat.

“What do you think you’re doing in my house, eh?” A mocking tone to the voice told you that whoever it was didn’t hold you as much of a threat. You cursed yourself for not checking to see if someone was inside. Just because there were no possessions didn’t mean anything considering how poor most people were.

“I… I was just-“

“You were just leavin’, right?”

You sighed as the blade was taken away. He didn’t stop staring at you though, and he never loosened his grip.

“This house was my friend’s, a long time ago. I’ve been using it ever since,” you said simply, trying to find a way to reason with this guy after you’d made such a first impression.

“Bullshit,” he said calmly, flourishing his sword once. “This place was empty when I got here. Quit makin’ up stories or I’ll beat you all the way to the eightieth district.”

“He left this place a long time ago, said he was going to get into Seireitei if it killed him. Maybe it did. I come here when I need to escape my own district for a while,” you said, still not moving away.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond bangs. “Tch… fine, whatever. I’m only crashing here for another day anyway. Come back in two days and it’ll be all yours.”

You sighed, and shook your head. “No good… I hope. I won’t be around here in two days. I’m going to the entrance exams as the Academy.” You were starting to feel a little silly, standing your ground against someone with a weapon, but he seemed so far to be rather lax about the whole situation. Something about him didn’t seem overly dangerous. Strong, yes, but not out to cause harm.

“You?” The man let out a snort. “Couldn’t even notice a guy standin’ right in front of ya. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem much like Shinigami material to me.”

You huffed, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t exactly your strongest moment. When neither of you said anything for several seconds, a slightly annoyed look came over the blonde’s face.

“Look, ya want a place to stay? Go find the empty house three blocks south of here. I only moved out of there cause I was tired of my neighbor anyway. Go on, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

You thought about arguing more, but he wasn’t giving any ground, even if he wasn’t being cruel about it.

“Thanks… I guess,” you said as you turned to the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the blonde muttered, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

You shook your head and made your way toward the empty house. You didn’t have much of a choice; the other kid seemed far more prepared for a fight, and he actually had a weapon, as non-lethal as it was.

The house was in cruddier condition, but overall wasn’t that much of a downgrade. You were only going to have to sleep here twice, with any luck, so it wasn’t like you were going to need it in the long haul. Still, it made you reconsider your choice to stay here instead of visiting the Seireitei. Even if it was with a Shinigami, and even if it wasn’t how you wanted to get there… you still kind of welcomed the idea of a bed at that moment.

You padded the ground until you found a spot that was comparatively soft to the rest of it and quickly set yourself down. There wasn’t much point in staying awake longer, but as you fell asleep, you couldn’t help but to have one thought…

**”I should talk to that blonde kid again”: Go to Chapter 229**

**“I need to train”: Go to Chapter 230**


	117. Chapter 117

You decided that in the end it was just easier to sleep on the street. You hadn’t been to the house in weeks, not since the last time you needed to find new marks to steal from when all the ones In your area grew too wary for a time. The house might be occupied; hell, it might even be in the process of falling apart. Buildings without owners in Soul Society often rotted away with little to nothing done about it; some were even torn down for the firewood in winters. Plus, you weren’t exactly used to a life of luxury. If you’d been expecting somewhere comfortable to sleep for the night you would’ve gone with the Shinigami instead of staying out here.

You searched until you found a suitably dark corner where there were enough boxes and rubbish to hide yourself within, so that anyone who passed through the alley wouldn’t notice the young child sleeping unless they were looking particularly closely in the moonlight. Then you built yourself a small shelter out of what there was that didn’t seem particularly filthy, and rested your head against the building. You got the feeling that sleep was still a ways off.

~~~~~

“Heeeeey! Are you dead?”

You were awoken quite rudely, with a bit of a pain in your face. You blinked your eyes against the sunlight streaming into the alley from above and quickly discovered why.

A strange young girl with green hair was pulling at your cheeks. She smiled as your eyes opened up and gave you a cheer.

“Yay! He’s aliiiive!”

“What the hell…” you mumbled as you rubbed at your eyes, inadvertently knocking some of the refuse away from you.

“No, silly, this is Soul Society! Are you new here?” 

You looked at this woman a bit oddly… she was definitely one of the more interesting characters that you had meant in the Rukongai, that was certain.

She must have seen the look that you gave her. “Oh, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’mmmmm Mashiro Kuna! Superhero Shinigami Savior of Soul Society!”

She struck a pose and you looked at her with a great deal of skepticism. “You’re… a Shinigami?”

“No, but I could be! Easy! I’m going to the Shinigami Academy tomorrow!” She puffed out her cheeks and you got the impression that she had become offended by your simple question.

“Okay... well, I’m just going to leave now…” you said as you brushed the rest of your pile away to clear a path and started to move away from the strange woman. You had to start thinking of how to prepare yourself today, how to-

“NOOOO! You can’t leave, I saved you! You owe me!” She squealed before you could even _start_ thinking.

You gave her a sigh. Clearly she was not going to leave you alone so easily. You needed to prepare for the Shinigami Academy exams, but… you were going to have to do something about her.

**Invite her along with you: Go to Chapter 231**

**Distract her and leave: Go to Chapter 232**


	118. Chapter 118

“Yeah, that actually sounds really nice, thanks,” you said, uncertain of exactly what this girl was like now.

“Don’t thank me! I wouldn’t be offering if you didn’t look like such an idiot trying to figure out which way you’re even going,” she said with a harsh laugh.

Well, whatever her personality was like, she was offering you a roof over your head, and you thought that it was pretty unlikely you’d be able to make it back home before the night was in full force. Hell, considering that you were lost, you were pretty certain that you’d be lucky to make it before the morning came.

You two walked in silence, too nervous that asking how much farther you were going might get the offer retracted. You had saved her life, but… she didn’t seem terribly grateful.

“We’re here,” she finally announced, throwing an arm out to stop you from continuing on. You barely avoided running into it.

“Oh. This is actually pretty nice,” you said, looking up around the place. It was a bit larger than your house but surprisingly less trashed. Usually the larger homes were the ones that had seen the most wear and tear over the years, harder to maintain and more desired.

“Whatever, it’s a home. At least ‘til I get out of here and make my living as a Shinigami. Your corner is over there.” The girl didn’t even look at you as she was speaking, just pointed to the corner.

“Thanks, Hiyori,” you said reflexively as you looked over. There wasn’t anything there, and it didn’t look particularly friendly, but then again your old home wasn’t much better, and the walls there were about one good gust away from falling over on the best of days.

“Quit thanking me before I change my mind,” she growled, her tone rather dangerous. Despite her size and her relatively thin limbs, she clearly had quite an attitude, and maybe the strength to go with it. After all, she’d been trying to beat a Hollow to death with a piece of wood when you saw her for the first time.

You tried to talk to her, but she ignored you and swiftly made up her own bed. Putting her back to the wall and shutting her eyes tight, she did her best to fake sleep; hell, if you weren’t convinced she wouldn’t snore one bit until you had already nodded off.

Whatever. Her lack of trust issues were her own problem; you’d done a good deed and gotten a pretty decent home for the night, so now you could rest easily.

As long as you didn’t have any more unexpected visitors.

~~~~~

You awoke the next morning with no issues, no surprise Hollow attacks, and only a minor back ache – which, compared to the massive one you had at home, meant that somehow even the floor here was nicer.

Looking across the room, you saw that apparently the girl, Hiyori, was still asleep. You could leave quietly, and she’d never get the chance to scream at you. Of course, on the other hand, you could also just stick around. She mentioned becoming a Shinigami… and as you recalled, there were exams soon. Actually, tomorrow. Perhaps she would be interested in training with you?

**Leave quietly, head back home: Go to Chapter 233**

**Ask Hiyori to train with you: Go to Chapter 234**


	119. Chapter 119

“That’s alright, I’m going to head back home, I- I think I know where to go.”

“Whatever! Not my problem,” Hiyori called back with a snort, not even hesitating long as she turned away and started strutting away to her own house.

You sighed and shook your head, a little put off by the random personality of the girl. Whatever, you had to focus on getting home soon, or you were going to be stuck out here all night. One last look over your shoulder and you were off, traipsing down the street toward your home.

~~~~

Perhaps you weren’t quite as sure as you could have been as to where you were, for after nearly two hours of walking back the way you had come, you were only just now beginning to see signs of homes you recognized. Well, they were close enough, they probably just looked different in the pale light of a full moon, which was currently the only thing you could really see.

You stifled a yawn with the back of your hand as you finally found the home you’d been searching for, walking in through the open doorway and halfway collapsing against the ground. Within seconds, you were fast asleep, the last thoughts being of just how lucky you had been to escape with your life today.

~~~~

“Hey, what the hell are you doin’ in my house?!”

You awoke to that shout, and before you could even ask who was yelling at you, your body was thrown backwards and your abdomen exploded in pain. That was followed a moment later by the sound of wood smacking against bone, as your spine collided with what must have been the wall.

“What?! Who are you, what are you doing here?” You shouted out as you opened your eyes and looked up to see a white-haired boy, a few years older than you by his looks, growling and gesturing with his fist.

“That’s what I just asked, don’t get smart with me!” He looked ready to throw another blow at any moment, so you quickly had to say something.

“Wait! I just… where are we?”

He looked as if he didn’t understand why you were asking something like that. “East side of the fifty-forth district of Rukongai, where else?”

You groaned. Two whole districts away from where your home was. No wonder you’d had such a rude awakening.

He apparently didn’t like your pause. He took a step forward and grabbed you by the shoulder, just beside the neck. “Spit it out! Now why do I wake up to find you freeloading in my house?”

“Look, I just got lost. It was late last night, and I’d been chased by a Hollow. I thought this was my house, but I must have been lost in the dark.”

“Hollow?” He grunted, looking somewhat pensive for a few moments. “Yeah, I heard about that. Bunch of Shinigami came down. Heard they almost cancelled the Academy exams.”

“Academy exams?” The shock on your face said it all – you hadn’t even known there were going to be entrance exams for Shino Academy. Missing a big piece of information like that was pretty rare, and sometimes dangerous.

“Yeah, tomorrow.” Your jaw dropped. He saw it, but ignored it for the most part, just giving you a glare. “Now, I’m no messenger, so quit asking questions and get out of my house!”

You complied, nodding your head and walking out toward the door. As soon as he saw you were on your way out, Kensei turned away and went back toward the corner opposite where you had been.

Outside, you were trying to decide what to do. Now that you knew roughly where you were, you might be able to make it home in an hour or two, tops. Once you got there, though, you’d have to figure out what you were going to do. Academy entrance exams were a big deal. This might be – hell, it probably was – your only chance to get out of the Rukongai. But you hadn’t been preparing. You hadn’t even known that they were coming.

When you got home you were going to seriously need to start getting ready. But how?

**Look around and try to gather information: Go to Chapter 235**

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 236**


	120. Chapter 120

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

It was hard finding people to talk about it. Most of the Rukongai citizens in the area had heard about the Hollow attack yesterday, and while nobody really knew who was involved it was still driving fear into their hearts, making them hesitant to even stop long enough to talk to a stranger. What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date of the exams – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. 

However, while Rukongai citizens knew surprisingly little about the examinations beyond the obvious, you soon found someone who would certainly know more…

~~~~

“Th-there’s really no need to thank me. I just hope you’ll find these a little more comfortable.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much. I didn’t… I didn’t know how we would make it, when winter comes it’s always so-“

“Really, now, it’s nothing. I only wish we could do more.”

The sight that you stumbled upon was unusual, and completely unexpected. Those words were exchanged between three people – an aged woman, not yet elderly; a young girl, no more than ten, and a Shinigami. No, more than that, a _Shinigami Captain_. You recognized the haori he was wearing, more from tales that you had heard than any personal experience. Your eyes widened as he gave a little wave to the family and turned away. You were so shocked it took you several seconds before you started after him, shouting down the street, not particularly caring who heard.

Several people stared at you, but thankfully one of them was the Shinigami in question. He looked at you with a bit of surprise, but mostly curiosity. He was probably used to being called over by children.

“Yes, is there something I can do for you?”

You stopped as you came within a few feet of him, and tried to straighten your thoughts. You didn’t want to appear foolish in front of one of the few Shinigami that you’d seen, much less one you were about to ask for assistance.

“I… I’m going to be taking the Shinigami Academy examinations tomorrow!”

He smiled, even though you hadn’t said what you needed to yet. “That’s great. I’m sure you will make a fine Shinigami.”

You shook your head frantically. “No, that’s not why I came here. I wanted to ask if you could help me, somehow. If you knew anything about the examination that would help me.”

He nodded and looked at you seriously for a few moments. You couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable; it was like he was scrutinizing your very being.

After a few seconds he put his hand to his chin and looked at you seriously. “You have potential. Your spirit is strong, but… you need training to really prove that in the examinations. If you can prove that you have the drive and ability to grow stronger, that should be enough for them to accept you.”

You sighed and looked down, a bit saddened that his advice was essentially just growing stronger. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you’d hoped that there would be some kind of trick to becoming a Shinigami that you could find out.

He saw your defeated look and must have mistaken the ideas in your head. “There now, no need to look so down. Even if you don’t make it this time, you can always try again at the next entrance exam. That will give you plenty of time to train.”

“I suppose… thank you, sir,” You said, giving a bow of your head before turning around.

You thought you heard the Shinigami leave, but were surprised when you heard his voice calling out from behind you.

“Perhaps… I could show you something of a Shinigami’s abilities, to help you impress the examiners.”

You turned back toward him, thinking quickly. He was offering to train you? In the manner of a true Shinigami, nonetheless. Could you really pass such a chance up?

**Train with him: Go to Chapter 237**

**Decline the offer: Go to Chapter 238**


	121. Chapter 121

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. When that failed, chills would run down your spine, as you remembered the Hollow from yesterday; how you had only just barely survived, how it had come so close that almost no one else in Rukongai had survived a similar encounter. Your fear drove you on. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now that you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 239**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 240**


	122. Chapter 122

You scoured the desert, mind wandering but senses alert. You could almost feel the desert around you, the void that indicated there was nothing to be found for miles. But you had all the time in the world, and little else to do except feed.

The time that had passed since you first gained your independence was slipping away from you when you finally noticed another presence. It was not through sight or sound, but rather the sudden light that seemed to flare up in your mind over the next hill. You lumbered toward it at the same slow pace, not bothering to rush. Your prey had not yet moved, and would not escape you.

When you crested the hill it came into sight, a tall and thin figure with a rounded head. A huge, expressionless mask covered most of its top with a nose that jutted out several yards. It turned as it spotted you and let loose a howl that shook the sands. You barely paused as you continued your leisurely pace.

A Gillian. You didn’t know for certain where the word had come from, but you knew its name, and that it was no match for you. You didn’t need to move toward it any longer; now that it had spotted you the Hollow was surging forward, mouth opening as it lunged toward you.

You put one hand up and gripped the underside of the Hollow’s mask, stopping it instantly. You were pushed back slightly by the force, but as soon as you dug your heels into the sand you regained traction. Curling your fingers into a tight fist you slammed your arm against the Hollow and sent it flying across the sands, a massive crack appearing in its mask.

Shaking your head at the futility of the beast’s efforts, you began to walk forward as your prey cried out in terror.

Or, so you thought.

The Hollow uncurled its neck and revealed a glowing black ball of energy. Your mind flashed another name – but you had no time to comprehend it, as the black mass fired forth and impacted on your chest.

You felt it batter and beat at your skin, tearing flesh away and exposing black blood. You couldn’t block all of its energy, much as you tried, until you managed to force an arm out and into the beam. It faded shortly after you had it under control, as the Hollow once again charged toward you.

Angered, you felt your injured body scream in rage and pain as you thrust yourself forward, impaling your arm through the carapace of the Gillian, ripping downward and tearing the Hollow from mask to ground. It let out one long squeal of pain and fell over.

As you stepped atop the prone corpse and dug your hands in, you pulled free a dark chunk of Hollow flesh. You gave it a toss and began to feast on your conquest.

~~~~~

You were nursing your wounds as you laid back in a cave you’d found not too far from where you’d found the Gillian. You had consumed almost every bit of it – you still weren’t sure how. You felt stronger, as if all the souls and pieces of that Hollow had become part of you instantly. But you were weaker as well; your wounds were healing, but it would take time for them to be better. Next time you would not allow yourself to be so off-guard because of the weakness of your foe… but you would not be safe to hunt again until your bleeding stopped and your arms healed.

Of course, you could always target the humans instead. Their souls were so easy; weak, innocent little meals waiting to be devoured…

**Rest until you are ready to hunt: Go to Chapter 241**

**Prey upon human souls: Go to Chapter 242**


	123. Chapter 123

Hunting could come later. For now, humans were nothing but an easy meal awaiting your arrival. They might as well simply lay themselves out on plates for as weak and pathetic as they were.

You held out a hand, not quite sure of what you were doing, only certain that it was what you needed to do. A gargantuan black portal began to fade in out of thin air, a long tunnel that led to the human world. You eyed it with mild interest, before staring at your hand and contemplating the abilities that you seemed to have. You had seen them, on occasion, when your mind was still but a fragment of a larger whole, but you had never truly felt what it was like to use them. The power was… intoxicating.

You stepped through the portal and licked the mask covering your lips as you thought forward to the meals awaiting you on the other side.

~~~~

The human world was both familiar and foreign to you. You had never been to this town, at least as far as you could remember, but the civilization of humanity drew your eye. But you felt nothing for it; at least, not any more. What drew your eye now were the people. They walked through the streets, into and out of buildings, all while completely oblivious to your presence. You eyed them with distaste, trying to sense out a particular meal. The humans below you all looked unappetizing; you needed a soul. From your perch atop a light pole, you could see that this city was vast. Surely, there was at least one wandering soul somewhere, or a human with particularly high spiritual pressure. For a human, anyway.

Like a scent on the air, you thought for sure that you were heading in the right direction as you turned east and sidled down the street. You were hardly larger than these humans, but you still had to be somewhat careful to avoid them. They could not see you, but they certainly could feel you if you walked into them. You didn’t want to draw unintentional attention… the Shinigami could arrive at any moment. You needed to be quick.

Your stealth and care paid off when you turned into a side street, guided by the faintest of senses in the back of your head. A growl rumbled up from your throat as you set eyes on a spirit, standing and looking sad at the opposite corner. Her eyes rose to you, and then widened in fear. She screamed and began sprinting away, dashing into and through several nearby humans.

Compared to you, she may as well have been crawling. With one long step forward, you lunged, and felt your claws sink into your ethereal prey.

~~~~

Back in Hueco Mundo, you felt your strength increasing. Having fed for the first time in this new form seemed to have made you much stronger, putting you back to full strength. You were powerful, you could feel it; even more powerful than you had been before you awakened and took control of yourself.

You would need to find new food sooner or later, however. The hunger never left you, it only dulled. And in this world, it seemed like there was little to do besides hunt or feed. You would have to choose one.

**Hunt for other Hollows: Go to Chapter 243**

**Prey upon the humans: Go to Chapter 244**


	124. Chapter 124

“Hey, long time no see,” you greeted with a smile. Rangiku turned away from the merchant, arms full of persimmons and other varieties of fruit. She smiled back as she realized who it was.

“Well now, already following after me? Seems like someone’s a fast friend,” she mused. She gestured for you to follow her, and started walking down the street in the same direction you’d originally been headed.

You stepped quickly to keep up with her and shrugged. “I figured since we were already going to meet it’d just be rude to walk on by. Besides, I was kind of impressed.” When she looked a little confused, you continued on. “I don’t see many people actually paying for stuff, especially this far out into the Rukongai. Money may as well be a Shinigami for how often I see people with the stuff.”

“Well, Gin does his best to make sure we don’t have to put ourselves in danger…” Rangiku had a smile on her face, but you saw something under that. Too concealed for you to discern exactly what, though. “He disappears every now and then to work an odd job around the Rukongai, who knows how far away they are; he’s been gone for days before.”

You just shrugged. “At least he can find them. That’s more than most can say.”

She nodded. “He’s very… creative, and incredibly determined. But I suppose you’ll see that today, won’t you?”

With a smile and a nod, both of you were already well on your way to Gin’s house.

~~~~

“Hey, Gin. Look who I ran into while I was getting our food,” Rangiku greeted as both of you entered the house.

“Well, well. Decided to show up after all. I can’t say I’m disappointed.” That same smile was still on his face, almost like you’d never left at all. You were beginning to wonder if his face might actually be stuck like that.

“So where are we going?” You asked as you looked around.

“Going? Why, we’re staying right here. We have everything we need.” With a flourish, Gin produced three wooden swords from behind his back, waving them slightly in front of you.

You shrugged and looked between both of them. “When do we get started?”

Gin just smiled that same old smile. Rangiku chuckled, and that was the last thing you remembered before you found a sword in your hands and a bruise welling on your forehead.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He seemed to be focusing a bit more on you, perhaps, although you could’ve been imagining it. Still, you couldn’t help but feel like every mistake you made was thoroughly punished, your shins, elbows, and ribcage thoroughly bruised by the time that Rangiku was receiving her second or third dozen blow.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 245**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 246**


	125. Chapter 125

You just shook your head and kept on walking. No point in slowing her down, after all. Soon enough the three of you would be together, and you would all be getting to know each other in a way a lot more intimate than just talking, somehow.

~~~~

“Well, decided to show up after all, I see,” the familiar voice greeted you just as you reached the doorway.

“Were you expecting otherwise?” Your voice was lathered in skepticism, but you were mostly concerned with trying to figure out how it was that he managed to notice you. He was actually facing almost the opposite direction, handling three wooden swords in the corner.

“Not exactly. Still, surprising that you were so eager that you beat Rangiku back,” he said with a smirk.

“I passed her on the way here, actually. I figured that I could help you prepare, and find out exactly how it is that we’re training.”

“Well, I appreciate the help, but I think it’s you and Rangiku who will be needing the preparation.” He twirled one of the blades expertly, then tossed one to you. You caught it, barely, by the bladed end and lifted it up into the right position. It was a bit awkward; you’d rarely held one of these before, and Gin could probably tell.

“We’ll be using these. Hopefully you and Rangiku can give each other some help; she’s been improving, but I still beat her without a handicap last time.”

“Not by much, give me _some_ credit.”

With that, Rangiku walked in from behind you. She gave you a small smile before walking in and depositing her supply of fruit on a board at the side of the house. She brushed some of the loose leaves and other bits of foliage from her outfit and then turned to Gin.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

You weren’t sure if Gin’s grin became more evil in that instant, or if it was just your imagination… neither was a particularly comforting thought, given what happened next.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He seemed to hone in on you, somewhat, but you could never figure out if it was on purpose or just the flow of battle. He would step in, pressure you until you were certain your defenses were about to crumble, land one decisive blow and then back out. It almost felt like he was playing with you, or testing you – whatever he was doing, even Rangiku’s additions to the fight weren’t enough to keep him off of you.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 247**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 248**


	126. Chapter 126

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventies of the districts, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 249**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 250**


	127. Chapter 127

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling, and even the chance of food made you wonder if it might be worth a shot. On top of that, you knew that there were others who could aid you. People like the two you’d met yesterday; even though you had brushed them off, they had helped you find out about the exams, and you had the feeling there were others out there like you, who wanted to get in. Maybe one of them could help you. In the end, you knew what your course of action had to be.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 251**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 252**


	128. Chapter 128

“Hey, long time no see,” you greeted with a smile. Rangiku turned away from the merchant, arms full of persimmons and other varieties of fruit. She smiled back as she realized who it was.

“Well now, already following after me? Seems like someone’s a fast friend,” she mused. She gestured for you to follow her, and started walking down the street in the same direction you’d originally been headed.

You stepped quickly to keep up with her and shrugged. “I figured since we were already going to meet it’d just be rude to walk on by. Besides, I was kind of impressed.” When she looked a little confused, you continued on. “I don’t see many people actually paying for stuff, especially this far out into the Rukongai. Money may as well be a Shinigami for how often I see people with the stuff.”

“Well, Gin does his best to make sure we don’t have to put ourselves in danger…” Rangiku had a smile on her face, but you saw something under that. Too concealed for you to discern exactly what, though. “He disappears every now and then to work an odd job around the Rukongai, who knows how far away they are; he’s been gone for days before.”

You just shrugged. “At least he can find them. That’s more than most can say.”

She nodded. “He’s very… creative, and incredibly determined. But I suppose you’ll see that today, won’t you?”

With a smile and a nod, both of you were already well on your way to Gin’s house.

~~~~

“Hey, Gin. Look who I ran into while I was getting our food,” Rangiku greeted as both of you entered the house.

“Well, well. Decided to show up after all. I can’t say I’m disappointed.” That same smile was still on his face, almost like you’d never left at all. You were beginning to wonder if his face might actually be stuck like that.

“So where are we going?” You asked as you looked around.

“Going? Why, we’re staying right here. We have everything we need.” With a flourish, Gin produced three wooden swords from behind his back, waving them slightly in front of you.

You shrugged and looked between both of them. “When do we get started?”

Gin just smiled that same old smile. Rangiku chuckled, and that was the last thing you remembered before you found a sword in your hands and a bruise welling on your forehead.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He went blow for blow with each of you and both of you felt the stings of his wooden sword almost equally. You were quite certain that Rangiku and yourself were going to be quite sore tomorrow.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. You know, if you can keep that up, you might just get your dream of becoming a Shinigami one day. Why, you might even be able to take on me.” Gin’s smile said otherwise, if you could even read that much into it.

“Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 253**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 254**


	129. Chapter 129

You just shook your head and kept on walking. No point in slowing her down, after all. Soon enough the three of you would be together, and you would all be getting to know each other in a way a lot more intimate than just talking, somehow.

~~~~

“Well, decided to show up after all, I see,” the familiar voice greeted you just as you reached the doorway.

“Were you expecting otherwise?” Your voice was lathered in skepticism, but you were mostly concerned with trying to figure out how it was that he managed to notice you. He was actually facing almost the opposite direction, handling three wooden swords in the corner.

“Perhaps. Though if you truly wanted to become a Shinigami as you said you do, I had faith you’d show up here.” Was that approval in his eyes? Hard to tell, you could barely catch a glimpse of his pupils, and that only rarely. “Though it is surprising that you were so eager that you beat Rangiku back,” he said with a smirk.

“I passed her on the way here, actually. I figured that I could help you prepare, and find out exactly how it is that we’re training.”

“Well, I appreciate the help, but I think it’s you and Rangiku who will be needing the preparation.” He twirled one of the blades expertly, then tossed one to you. You caught it, barely, by the bladed end and lifted it up into the right position. It was a bit awkward; you’d rarely held one of these before, and Gin could probably tell.

“We’ll be using these. Hopefully you and Rangiku can give each other some help; she’s been improving, but I still beat her without a handicap last time.”

“Not by much, give me _some_ credit.”

With that, Rangiku walked in from behind you. She gave you a small smile before walking in and depositing her supply of fruit on a board at the side of the house. She brushed some of the loose leaves and other bits of foliage from her outfit and then turned to Gin.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

You weren’t sure if Gin’s grin became more evil in that instant, or if it was just your imagination… neither was a particularly comforting thought, given what happened next.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He seemed to hone in on you, somewhat, but you could never figure out if it was on purpose or just the flow of battle. He would step in, pressure you until you were certain your defenses were about to crumble, land one decisive blow and then back out. It almost felt like he was playing with you, or testing you – whatever he was doing, even Rangiku’s additions to the fight weren’t enough to keep him off of you. He did the same with Rangiku, somehow able to focus on both of you almost equally, blow-for-blow and quite impressively managing to land almost the same number of hits as well. It almost seemed like he was counting.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself and your weaknesses than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 255**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 256**


	130. Chapter 130

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventies of the districts, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 257**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 258**


	131. Chapter 131

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. Not only that, but you’d made the decision to turn down the help of those other two, to go it alone; if you were going to do that you’d have to try even harder. Your determination wore on as the day passed into the afternoon. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling, and even the chance of food made you wonder if it might be worth a shot. On top of that, you knew that there were others who could aid you. People like the two you’d met yesterday; even though you had brushed them off, they had helped you find out about the exams, and you had the feeling there were others out there like you, who wanted to get in. Maybe one of them could help you. In the end, you knew what your course of action had to be.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 259**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 260**


	132. Chapter 132

“Hey, long time no see,” you greeted with a smile. Rangiku turned away from the merchant, arms full of persimmons and other varieties of fruit. She smiled back as she realized who it was.

“Well now, already following after me? Seems like someone’s a fast friend,” she mused. She gestured for you to follow her, and started walking down the street in the same direction you’d originally been headed.

You stepped quickly to keep up with her and shrugged. “I figured since we were already going to meet it’d just be rude to walk on by. Besides, I was kind of impressed.” When she looked a little confused, you continued on. “I don’t see many people actually paying for stuff, especially this far out into the Rukongai. Money may as well be a Shinigami for how often I see people with the stuff.”

“Well, Gin does his best to make sure we don’t have to put ourselves in danger…” Rangiku had a smile on her face, but you saw something under that. Too concealed for you to discern exactly what, though. “He disappears every now and then to work an odd job around the Rukongai, who knows how far away they are; he’s been gone for days before.”

You just shrugged. “At least he can find them. That’s more than most can say.”

She nodded. “He’s very… creative, and incredibly determined. But I suppose you’ll see that today, won’t you?”

With a smile and a nod, both of you were already well on your way to Gin’s house.

~~~~

“Hey, Gin. Look who I ran into while I was getting our food,” Rangiku greeted as both of you entered the house.

“Well, well. Decided to show up after all. I can’t say I’m disappointed.” That same smile was still on his face, almost like you’d never left at all. You were beginning to wonder if his face might actually be stuck like that.

“So where are we going?” You asked as you looked around.

“Going? Why, we’re staying right here. We have everything we need.” With a flourish, Gin produced three wooden swords from behind his back, waving them slightly in front of you.

You shrugged and looked between both of them. “When do we get started?”

Gin just smiled that same old smile. Rangiku chuckled, and that was the last thing you remembered before you found a sword in your hands and a bruise welling on your forehead.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He went blow for blow with each of you and both of you felt the stings of his wooden sword almost equally. You were quite certain that Rangiku and yourself were going to be quite sore tomorrow.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. You know, if you can keep that up, you might just get your dream of becoming a Shinigami one day. Why, you might even be able to take on me.” Gin’s smile said otherwise, if you could even read that much into it.

“Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 261**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 262**


	133. Chapter 133

You just shook your head and kept on walking. No point in slowing her down, after all. Soon enough the three of you would be together, and you would all be getting to know each other in a way a lot more intimate than just talking, somehow.

~~~~

“Well, decided to show up after all, I see,” the familiar voice greeted you just as you reached the doorway.

“Were you expecting otherwise?” Your voice was lathered in skepticism, but you were mostly concerned with trying to figure out how it was that he managed to notice you. He was actually facing almost the opposite direction, handling three wooden swords in the corner.

“Perhaps. You don’t even know what you want to do with yourself; a man like that could scarcely be counted on to show up to a meeting.” Was that disapproval in his eyes? Hard to tell, you could barely catch a glimpse of his pupils, and that only rarely. “Even more surprising that you were so eager that you beat Rangiku back,” he said with a smirk.

“I passed her on the way here, actually. I figured that I could help you prepare, and find out exactly how it is that we’re training.”

“Well, I appreciate the help, but I think it’s you and Rangiku who will be needing the preparation.” He twirled one of the blades expertly, then tossed one to you. You caught it, barely, by the bladed end and lifted it up into the right position. It was a bit awkward; you’d rarely held one of these before, and Gin could probably tell.

“We’ll be using these. Hopefully you and Rangiku can give each other some help; she’s been improving, but I still beat her without a handicap last time.”

“Not by much, give me _some_ credit.”

With that, Rangiku walked in from behind you. She gave you a small smile before walking in and depositing her supply of fruit on a board at the side of the house. She brushed some of the loose leaves and other bits of foliage from her outfit and then turned to Gin.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

You weren’t sure if Gin’s grin became more evil in that instant, or if it was just your imagination… neither was a particularly comforting thought, given what happened next.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He seemed to hone in on you, somewhat, but you could never figure out if it was on purpose or just the flow of battle. He would step in, pressure you until you were certain your defenses were about to crumble, land one decisive blow and then back out. It almost felt like he was playing with you, or testing you – whatever he was doing, even Rangiku’s additions to the fight weren’t enough to keep him off of you. He did the same with Rangiku, somehow able to focus on both of you almost equally, blow-for-blow and quite impressively managing to land almost the same number of hits as well. It almost seemed like he was counting.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself and your weaknesses than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 263**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 264**


	134. Chapter 134

“Hey, long time no see,” you greeted with a smile. Rangiku turned away from the merchant, arms full of persimmons and other varieties of fruit. She nodded at you as you approached to acknowledge your presence.

“Hey, you made it back in one piece,” she mused. She gestured for you to follow her, and started walking down the street in the same direction you’d originally been headed.

You stepped quickly to keep up with her and nodded. “I figured since we were already going to meet it’d just be rude to walk on by. Besides, I was kind of impressed.” When she looked a little confused, you continued on. “I don’t see many people actually paying for stuff, especially this far out into the Rukongai. Money may as well be a Shinigami for how often I see people with the stuff.”

“Well, Gin does his best to make sure we don’t have to put ourselves in danger…” Rangiku had a smile on her face, but you saw something under that. Too concealed for you to discern exactly what, though. “He disappears every now and then to work an odd job around the Rukongai, who knows how far away they are; he’s been gone for days before.”

You just shrugged. “At least he can find them. That’s more than most can say.”

She nodded. “He’s very… creative, and incredibly determined. But I suppose you’ll see that today, won’t you?”

With a smile and a nod, both of you were already well on your way to Gin’s house.

~~~~

“Hey, Gin. Look who I ran into while I was getting our food,” Rangiku greeted as both of you entered the house.

“Well, well. Decided to show up after all. I can’t say I’m disappointed.” That same smile was still on his face, almost like you’d never left at all. You were beginning to wonder if his face might actually be stuck like that.

“So where are we going?” You asked as you looked around.

“Going? Why, we’re staying right here. We have everything we need.” With a flourish, Gin produced three wooden swords from behind his back, waving them slightly in front of you.

You shrugged and looked between both of them. “When do we get started?”

Gin just smiled that same old smile. Rangiku chuckled, and that was the last thing you remembered before you found a sword in your hands and a bruise welling on your forehead.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He went blow for blow with each of you and both of you felt the stings of his wooden sword almost equally. You were quite certain that Rangiku and yourself were going to be quite sore tomorrow.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. You know, if you can keep that up, you might just get your dream of becoming a Shinigami one day. Why, you might even be able to take on me.” Gin’s smile said otherwise, if you could even read that much into it.

“Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 265**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 266**


	135. Chapter 135

You just shook your head and kept on walking. No point in slowing her down, after all. Soon enough the three of you would be together, and you would all be getting to know each other in a way a lot more intimate than just talking, somehow.

~~~~

“Well, decided to show up after all, I see,” the familiar voice greeted you just as you reached the doorway.

“Were you expecting otherwise?” Your voice was lathered in skepticism, but you were mostly concerned with trying to figure out how it was that he managed to notice you. He was actually facing almost the opposite direction, handling three wooden swords in the corner.

“Perhaps. You don’t even know what you want to do with yourself; a man like that could scarcely be counted on to show up to a meeting.” Was that disapproval in his eyes? Hard to tell, you could barely catch a glimpse of his pupils, and that only rarely. “Even more surprising that you were so eager that you beat Rangiku back,” he said with a smirk.

“I passed her on the way here, actually. I figured that I could help you prepare, and find out exactly how it is that we’re training.”

“Well, I appreciate the help, but I think it’s you and Rangiku who will be needing the preparation.” He twirled one of the blades expertly, then tossed one to you. You caught it, barely, by the bladed end and lifted it up into the right position. It was a bit awkward; you’d rarely held one of these before, and Gin could probably tell.

“We’ll be using these. Hopefully you and Rangiku can give each other some help; she’s been improving, but I still beat her without a handicap last time.”

“Not by much, give me _some_ credit.”

With that, Rangiku walked in from behind you. She barely even glanced at you before walking in and depositing her supply of fruit on a board at the side of the house. She brushed some of the loose leaves and other bits of foliage from her outfit and then turned to Gin.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

You weren’t sure if Gin’s grin became more evil in that instant, or if it was just your imagination… neither was a particularly comforting thought, given what happened next.

~~~~

The morning training session was grueling, intense, exhausting, and yet exhilarating. Gin, Rangiku, and yourself all trained against each other, sparring as best as you could. When Gin and Rangiku realized that their knowledge was superior to yours, Gin took on Rangiku and explained the basics of Zanjutsu – that was what they called swordsmanship for Shinigami. The fact that he was able to do it while remaining on equal footing with Rangiku, never missing a step in his explanation or the battle, led you to believe that he was toying with the both of you.

That was confirmed later as, after you got a chance against Rangiku to test out what he had taught you, both of you teamed up against Gin. He single-handedly fought the both of you off, blocking multiple blows in a row without so much as a stutter in his steps. He seemed to hone in on you, somewhat, but you could never figure out if it was on purpose or just the flow of battle. He would step in, pressure you until you were certain your defenses were about to crumble, land one decisive blow and then back out. It almost felt like he was playing with you, or testing you – whatever he was doing, even Rangiku’s additions to the fight weren’t enough to keep him off of you. He did the same with Rangiku, somehow able to focus on both of you almost equally, blow-for-blow and quite impressively managing to land almost the same number of hits as well. It almost seemed like he was counting.

You did your best to adjust, but you found that no matter how much you tried to improve, Gin was always a step or three ahead of you. Together the two of you had only just managed to land a handful of blows, and they seemed more lucky than skilled. You were learning a lot more about yourself and your weaknesses than how to beat Gin… still, at least it was something.

When the three of you finally stopped, you had to rest your hands on your knees just to stay up. Rangiku didn’t even bother, toppling over and resting against the wall as her chest heaved to recover from the shortness of breath you were both suffering from.

Gin seemed to be breathing a little heavier, but still remained as calm as ever, just standing there. “I suppose that’s enough for now. Who’s ready for dinner?”

He pressed a board forward with all the fruit that Rangiku had purchased earlier on it. Rangiku immediately grabbed one of the pieces and started tossing it in her hand.

“Nothing quite like a meal well-earned,” she said with a smile as she took the first bite.

You sat down and reached for the board, but as soon as your hand came close, Gin swatted the back of your hand with his wooden sword, leaving a long red line across the back of your hand that would surely add to your collection of bruises.

“Ah, ah, ah! I’m afraid Rangiku only brought enough for two of us. Of course, if you’re really hungry, you could always duel me for my share. Get one hit on me, before I get ten on you – sounds fair, hm?”

Gin hefted his sword, his expression unreadable because of how commonplace it was for him.

You took a deep breath. On one hand, you needed food, especially after an exhausting day like that. On the other, you and Rangiku together had only occasionally landed blows on Gin together, and only after getting fairly lucky. Could you really beat him one on one, even with such a handicap?

**Go for it, you need food: Go to Chapter 267**

**Pass, you’ll never beat him now: Go to Chapter 268**


	136. Chapter 136

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventies of the districts, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 269**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 270**


	137. Chapter 137

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren't certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn't really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. Not only that, but you’d made the decision to turn down the help of those other two, to go it alone; if you were going to do that you’d have to try even harder. Your determination wore on as the day passed into the afternoon. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling, and even the chance of food made you wonder if it might be worth a shot. On top of that, you knew that there were others who could aid you. People like the two you’d met yesterday; even though you had brushed them off, they had helped you find out about the exams, and you had the feeling there were others out there like you, who wanted to get in. And you wouldn't mind running into the one with the orange hair again, either. She seemed a lot nicer. In the end, you knew what your course of action had to be.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 271**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 272**


	138. Chapter 138

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventies of the districts, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 273**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 274**


	139. Chapter 139

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. Not only that, but you’d made the decision to turn down the help of those other two, to go it alone; if you were going to do that you’d have to try even harder. Your determination wore on as the day passed into the afternoon. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling, and even the chance of food made you wonder if it might be worth a shot. On top of that, you knew that there were others who could aid you. People like the two you’d met yesterday; even though you had brushed them off, they had helped you find out about the exams, and you had the feeling there were others out there like you, who wanted to get in. Maybe one of them could help you. In the end, you knew what your course of action had to be.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 275**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 276**


	140. Chapter 140

You knew that she wasn’t likely to just suddenly decide to be less cold toward you suddenly, so you might as well make yourself scarce.

“I should probably just go back to my room, I don’t want to get in the way,” you said quickly. Nanao gave a curt nod.

“Take the first left, and it’s the third door on the right. I trust you can find your way?” Her voice was polite and completely emotionless. You wanted to discern more, but she had a near-perfect mask.

“Yes, ma’am,” you replied. She didn’t bother to respond again, and was gone in a few seconds, turning around a corner and almost immediately being gone from sight.

You tried not to dwell on her for long. She might be like that to everyone, for all you knew. She was a little bit more respectful of her Captain but that was the only thing noticeable. Still, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was odd about this place. And not just the way that you arrived here.

No point in dwelling on it, though. You were at your room already, and as you opened the door you realized that it was more than you had ever really wanted out of life. A single bed, with a bedside table and a dresser on the other side of the room. It was barren, the bed plain and looking relatively rough.

And you had never had a nicer place to call your own, not in your entirely life.

You threw yourself upon the bed, nestling your head upon the pillow. You were certain that one of the Captains or even a noble would find this bed appalling. But to you, it felt like sinking into a cloud. Perhaps, then, it was no wonder that while you awaited the return of the Captain and his aid, you found yourself swiftly fading off into the world of dreams.

~~~~~

“Rise and shine, sleepy. I thought you would’ve had plenty of sleep after passing out like that. Maybe I shouldn’t have let Nanao work you quite so hard!”

You leaned up, looking around a little. The Captain – Shunsui, that was his name – he was sitting beside your bed with a smile on his face. Memories started to flood back, and suddenly you remembered you had a vital appointment that day.

“Captain-“

“Ah, ah! Nanao’s nowhere to be seen!”

You gave a small nod and continued. “Shunsui, am I late? You said that the exams were today.”

“Of course not! You didn’t think I’d let you sleep through your big day, did you? Come on, you’re just in time. Get a quick move on, and we’ll get you there before they even know you’re missing.”

Shunsui kneeled down and motioned for you to come with him. You stood from the bed and were off. Shunsui took your hand and pulled you after him, running so fast your feet scarcely touched the ground. He was certainly an impressive individual, that much was certain; but you’d expect no less and far, far more from a Captain in the Gotei 13.

Still, it seemed like only moments later that you were standing in front of a large building. You turned a questioning eye toward Shunsui, as if to ask if this was really where you were supposed to be.

“Go on in. They’re already waiting for you. Pass this test, and you’ll be accepted into Shino Academy. You’ll be a Shinigami in no time at all.”

You gave him a nod, then turned toward the building. Here, it seemed, was your judgment. Your day in the sun had finally arrived. One last test, and your life would be forever changed… for better, or for worse.

**Your Shinigami Academy Entrance Exam results: Go to Chapter 277**


	141. Chapter 141

You decided that you would hang around for a while. While the girl was a little cold toward you, she wasn’t exactly warm and friendly toward anyone else. Even her Captain got a bit of a cold shoulder from what little you’d seen of them, or at least a completely professional regard.

“If you don’t mind I’d like to come with you.”

She looked at you for a moment, then nodded. “Very well.”

You were expecting more, but instead she turned away and immediately began to walk toward her Captain, wherever it was that he might be. You followed in silence for a few moments, but found it nearly unbearable because of her demeanor. Even if she was going to be cold, you at least wanted to try to start a conversation with her.

“So… how did you join the division so early?”

For a moment, she seemed to falter in her steps, but if she did she corrected so quickly you weren’t altogether certain if you had noticed anything at all.

“I… I was a friend. A friend of the former Lieutenant.”

She didn’t elaborate further, and her tone seemed to say that she had no intentions of doing so. Instead, you tried a different tactic, somewhat encouraged by the fact that you were at least getting responses out of her without much venom.

“Do they always take in children before they go to the Academy?”

“No. Usually, only in special cases…” Nanao’s voice trailed off. She seemed to be thinking about something, then brushed it aside. “Captain Kyoraku always has his reasons. He’s often too generous for his own good regardless, so there’s really no telling. Still, I wonder-“

“Wonder no more, I’m finally back,” Shunsui greeted. You blinked rapidly, not quite sure where he had come from. It was as if one moment he was simply… there.

“Captain-“ Nanao seemed almost as startled as you had been, and she gave a quick bow. “My apologies. I did not notice your approach.”

“Not to worry, not to worry. Wouldn’t want to leave you two alone for too long, you might think I’d abandoned you to run the place by yourselves!” Shunsui’s smile was wide, as always, and then he turned to you. “I was hoping you might accompany Nanao. I wanted to wish both of you the best of luck in your examinations tomorrow. I’m certain that both of you will make excellent Shinigami.”

Nanao nodded and gave another bow. You did the same a moment later, and Shunsui just smiled and tipped his hat at you.

“Now, since you’re newer here, I understand you’re probably quite nervous. Even more than Nanao here, though she’d never show it.” He gave her a wink, that she promptly ignored. “If you’d like, we can always train tomorrow as well. Nanao will be leaving early if I know her as well as I should, but I could always instruct you a little. These things never start on time anyway.”

“Captain, I-“ Nanao seemed to have an objection, but Shunsui waved her off.

“Oh, don’t be such a stick in the mud. Now, what do you want to do?”

You thought about that for a long moment. You could train, but… would they dislike you more for being weaker, or more for potentially showing up late? It was a hard decision, but in the end you knew what you wanted to do.

**Train with Shunsui: Go to Chapter 278**

**Go straight to the Exam: Get your results on Chapter 279**


	142. Chapter 142

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nervousness show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began attempting everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved through a variety of strength and skill exercises, you saw piqued interest. As you continued onward, however, you quickly saw that fading. You didn’t know a lot of ways to impress the judges; you’d barely had a chance to prepare since the incident with the Hollow, and whatever strange attention you had managed to gather at the beginning didn’t last as you finished what little you could try to do with the wooden sword.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were surprisingly adept. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but you found yourself lifting weights far closer to the heavy end of the available spectrum than you’d expected. You even garnered some attention for a few moments as you lifted them with (relative) ease compared to what you’d been expecting. That interest dulled after a few moments, and spiked again only occasionally.

When you finally finished your allotted time, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. You had been expecting them to deliberate, either in another room or even in front of you, but to your surprise they only congregated their heads for a few moments before all three gave a simultaneous ruling.

“Pass.”

Your eyes started to water. You’d been through so much, yet come so far – could you, would you, should you really believe this? Your dreams were coming true, your journey to a better life ending at last.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You do not shine as a prodigy, but for one reason or another, you’ve caught the attention of not only the Academy but a Captain as well, and found a home in the Eighth Division. Still… not everyone seems to be happy about your arrival, and somehow you feel as though they are keeping something from you. It is up to you whether you decide to pursue this knowledge, embrace your life as a Shinigami without question, or to find any other path. For now, you simply have to face your next challenge:**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 280**


	143. Chapter 143

“Will you help me train? I don’t know how much I can do in one day, but I want to be prepared for tomorrow.” Your resolves was firm, and it showed in your voice.

“Excellent,” Nanao said. For the first time you saw what looked like a genuine smile touch her face. “If you keep that attitude, you’d make an excellent Shinigami.”

You beamed at the approval. You looked back to the food, scoffing down several more bites, and when you looked back up she was suddenly holding two wooden swords.

“This is the easiest thing I can train you in before you attend the Academy. If you show enough Spiritual Pressure during your examination, or if you demonstrate sufficient mastery of one of the Shinigami arts like Zanjutsu, there’s a very high probability that they will let you in regardless of the other examinees potential talent.”

You nodded vigorously. She was a lot more… wordy than most of the people you knew, but that just made you a little more confident in what she was saying.

“Now, hurry and finish eating. We’ll begin training as soon as you’re finished.”

Determination steeled you. You would do everything in your power to be worthy of becoming a Shinigami.

~~~~

“This is the proper stance to hold a sword in for a trainee. Learn it and use it well, or they will beat it into you at the Academy.”

Nanao instructed you on each way to hold a blade, depending on one’s purpose, be it offense, defense, or somewhere in between. Then she began to show you how to strike and defend, smooth, flowing movements that felt somewhat awkward at first and yet somehow natural; no doubt knowledge and technique that she and her predecessor Shinigami had learned and developed over years and years.

You were so busy focusing on trying to absorb every flick of the blade that you barely realized what was happening when she finally tossed the blade to the wall.

“That isn’t much, but it’s all that we have time for. The Captain is expecting me back before sunset, and at least one of us needs to be on time.” She rolled her eyes at some unspoken memory, or perhaps the imaginary figure of her Captain. “You’ll have to find some other way to fill the rest of your day, I’m afraid.”

“Do you… do you think I have a shot?”

Nanao opened her eyes wide, as if that were the very last thing she’d ever expected to hear from you. She hesitated a moment, then looked thoughtful.

“…I think you’ll be fine, as long as you do your best and strive to be a true Shinigami.”

“I always wanted to be a Shinigami.”

She stopped, having turned around to make her way out, and gave you a sidelong glance.

“Everyone in the Rukongai did,” you amended, wondering if she thought you were silly despite the simple nature of the dream. “Shinigami are like heroes. They just… always seemed so strong. So helpful. I just… I guess I wanted to thank you, for helping me out like that.”

“I… There’s no need to thank me,” Nanao said. For a moment you thought she turned red, but you didn’t look long enough to tell. She gave you one last wave and then disappeared from your doorway, in such a rush that she left the blades behind. The sun was arcing downward in the distance, the training and food of the day taking up a large portion of the day, but you still had some time. You had to decide what to do… you could continue training with these, try to master the skills that she had taught you, or you could venture out into the Rukongai – hopefully for the last time ever.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 281**

**Explore the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 282**


	144. Chapter 144

“I want to train, but I think I need to do this on my own. Your Captain probably needs you, anyway.” Your resolve was firm, and it showed in your voice.

“If only he knew how much,” Nanao said. An exasperated look crossed her face before she was able to stop it, and she fought to regain your composure. “I appreciate the thought, anyway. Your determination will serve you well if you do become a Shinigami.”

You beamed at the approval. You looked back to the food, scoffing down several more bites, and when you looked back up she was standing at the doorway.

You nodded vigorously. She was a lot more… wordy than most of the people you knew, but that just made you a little more confident in what she was saying. She seemed ready to say goodbye, but you couldn’t help yourself from asking one more question.

“I don’t feel that special from anyone else, not really. I’m going to do everything I can to get in… but do you think I have a shot?”

Nanao opened her eyes wide, as if that were the very last thing she’d ever expected to hear from you. She hesitated a moment, then looked thoughtful.

“I think that as long as you prove that you’re willing to give it your all, no matter how hard it gets, they’d be foolish not to let you in.”

You smiled at her, thankful for the praise, even if she didn’t directly say that you’d make it in for sure. “Thank you, Nanao.”

“I… There’s no need to thank me,” Nanao said. For a moment you thought she turned red, but you didn’t look long enough to tell. She gave you one last wave and then disappeared from your doorway, in such a rush that she left the blades behind. You set your mind to work… you were going to have to work hard, if you wanted to stand out in the eyes of the examiners.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The memory of the Hollow attack was enough to make you realize just how dire your situation was – you’d be in more danger as a Shinigami, true, but at least you’d be able to protect yourself. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 283**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 284**


	145. Chapter 145

“It’s my last day out here… the last day before the exams. You can head back to the Seireitei, if you want, I’m going to enjoy it,” you said with a small smile.

She did not so much appreciate the gaiety in your voice as you expected. A frown crossed her face, and she gave a long sigh of disapproval as she pushed up her glasses slightly.

“Well, if my Captain can get away with it, perhaps you’d make an excellent Shinigami after all,” she remarked. The sarcasm in her voice seriously nulled any confidence _that_ might have given you, if any at all. She stood and brushed herself off, before returning to the door.

“I’ll be taking my leave. Good luck in whatever you choose to do, you’ll need it.” Rather than a threat, the last part almost seemed like a promise. Then she was gone, around the corner before you could even hope to say anything else.

You just kicked back. She may not have been happy with you, but you weren’t too concerned. After yesterday, you deserved a break anyway… with the entire Hollow attack, you would’ve preferred not to think too much today anyway.

After an hour or so, though, you started to get bored. And the more bored you got, the more your mind turned back to the attack. You knew the Hollow was dead, that it couldn’t hurt you… but every time that you thought about it, that familiar chill returned to your chest with a vengeance.

Deciding it best to get your mind off of things with a little exercise, you went for a walk around the Rukongai. You stayed close to home, but it definitely helped clear your head. Looking at the people bustling about their daily lives – the shopkeepers, those that held actual work, and those that were simply waiting for the right opportunity ti pilfer whatever they could – kept you thinking about other things long enough to forget all your troubles. And when the sun started to set, and the people returned to their homes, you felt confident that you’d gotten a good look at your old home. You could leave tomorrow without any regrets, if you managed to get into the Shinigami Academy.

As you laid down, the fresh night air just beginning to replace the humid day, you wondered what the future held for you.

~~~~

When you awoke, the morning sun was rising – in fact, it was rising a little too quickly. Your eyelids fluttered open and adrenaline surged through your veins. The test was in only an hour! That wasn’t much time, and you had hoped to prepare, at least a little! You scanned what little you remembered hearing about the exam in your memories from the woman who had spoken of them a bit last night; she had mentioned the district. It was at least a forty minute walk… and twenty minutes wasn’t enough time to do much if anything.

You had to decide – was it more important to risk being late, and potentially upsetting the examiners, if you got in at all? Or was the extra strength more than being on time could’ve won you?

**Cram in some last-minute training: Go to Chapter 285**

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 286**


	146. Chapter 146

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. Even those that knew something seemed extraordinarily hesitant – the Hollow attack had put everyone on edge, whether it be from an actual threat or a curious child. You could do little; the fear in their eyes told you that they would not be assuaged. You wondered if some of them recognized you from the area that had been attacked. Suddenly, you wished that you’d thought to ask the Shinigami you’d met for help – at least they would know what you needed to prepare for.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventies of the districts, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 287**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 288**


	147. Chapter 147

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The memory of the Hollow attack was enough to make you realize just how dire your situation was – you’d be in more danger as a Shinigami, true, but at least you’d be able to protect yourself. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 289**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 290**


	148. Chapter 148

“Uh… yeah, sure thing,” you said after a moment of thought, handing out a large handful of the money you’d been given, leaving you with only a few coins. The bald man grinned like he’d just won the lottery.

“Hah! Sweet, take a nap or whatever it was you came here to do, I’m going to get some sake!”

And, like that, he was gone. You stared after him, but only for a moment. You were suddenly not so sure whether you necessarily wanted to be sleeping here, but at least you could… probably trust him. Besides, it’s not like you were much safer sleeping on the streets than with a crazy guy, so at least this man had the benefit of the doubt.

When he didn’t return for some time, you ended up collapsing against a wall, so exhausted by your day and your survival that you couldn’t help but to pass out.

~~~~

“I cannot believe you, Ikkaku! This is just intolerable. And here I thought that if someone came by it would be to see me, not to grovel at your feet!”

“Ah, can it. You’re just mad that I got drunk and you didn’t!”

Your eyes started flickering open. When they did, you spotted the bald man from before, and a strange-looking man with blue hair and one blond curl. They appeared to be arguing, but the bald man looked more content than angry.

“You know I don’t- **_gee, I’m very mad indeed Ikkaku. I bet you’re feeling wonderful today after that, aren’t you?!”_** Oh dear. The blue-haired man definitely got the upper hand with that one, and the bald guy – Ikkaku – was left clutching his head in his hands. Clearly whatever sake he’d gathered up with that money had been enough to give him one hell of a hangover.

“I swear Yumichika… I will kick your ass for that one of these days.”

“You two do that a lot?”

You couldn’t help but ask, almost laughing at their behavior. When they both looked at you, you were silenced a bit more.

“And then there’s the matter of this one! Absolutely filthy and already getting it all over the place! Unacceptable, there is nothing beautiful about this one at all!” How you were getting dirt filthy was beyond you. The insults were only adding to the irritation you felt; even the relative unease of the bald man with the blade wasn’t quite as in your face as this man’s behavior was.

“Ah, pipe down, he paid good money for the night and we’re leaving today anyway.”

“You never did say where you were going,” you chimed in.

“That’s because it’s none of your business,” Yumichika said offhandedly. Ikkaku just laughed and addressed you directly for the first time since you’d woken up.

“Don’t mind him, kid, he always gets like this after I’ve had a little fun for the night,” Ikkaku chuckled when Yumichika scoffed and crossed his arms. “We’re going to the Shinigami Academy; gonna join up with the eleventh squad. I’ve got a debt to settle, and a man to kill.”

You began to wonder which part of the Rukongai these two were from. The blue-haired one was apparently easily worked up, but seemed relatively harmless. Ikkaku, on the other hand, well… he seemed not just completely fine with the idea of killing whatever person he was talking about, but downright thrilled by it. The grin he got when he spoke of it was the kind of thing you would expect only from the harshest, most bloodthirsty criminals of the farthest districts. You began to wonder how you’d woken up at all.

And yet, he was the one defending your presence and insisting that you were fine? A strange duo to be sure.

“Well, now that that’s settled, we may as well get moving. You can have the house, I suppose, we won’t be back here. Now get up Ikkaku, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover! We have no idea where we’ll be sleeping tonight; all the homes around the examination are might be full.”

Yumichika half-dragged and half-shoved Ikkaku out the door. “I’ll just kick someone out! No big deal, it’s just one night, besides – I’m more interested in training, or finding someone to fight!”

“You’re absolutely hopeless. Still recovering from that battle, and you’re already getting drunk and thinking about new fights. I tell you Ikkaku, one of these days you’re going to wind up…”

Their voices slowly faded as they went down the streets. You thought quickly, uncertain of what to do.

Shinigami prospects, eh…? Well, you were hoping to join yourself… and you hadn’t been able to do any training, yet. These two weren’t your ideals of Shinigami, from what you’d seen so far anyway, but maybe they could help you? Then again, you already knew where the examination was. It was a walk, but you could make it there tomorrow from here. Perhaps you would simply stay here and train, or even enjoy your last day in the Rukongai… hopefully.

**Ask to tag along with them: Go to Chapter 291**

**Stay here and train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 292**

**Stay here and enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 293**


	149. Chapter 149

“S-sorry, I’ll just leave,” you said quickly, backing toward the door.

“Hey hang on a minute, I- ah, forget it, not worth the effort,” the bald man grumbled. For the first time you noticed him reach for his abdomen, but it wasn’t for the sword – he idly rubbed at some bandages. Whether he was thinking about coming after you or just wondering if it was worth the effort to try to convince you to pay, you weren’t interested. You backed out and were venturing down the street quickly.

\----

Unfortunately, your efforts to find another house were in vain. Most of them were shut – who knew houses had doors? – and locked for the night, and nobody that had left hteir door open was interested in housing a refugee from another district. In the end, you crashed against a building, hiding yourself between some discarded boxes to make sure that, at the very least, nobody wandering by on the main roads would be able to see you and come mug you for your newfound money.

When you awoke, sore and stiff, you knew that you were going to have to prepare. The Shinigami Academy was holding its entrance exams tomorrow… and you had yet to prepare. You could train yourself, try to make yourself strong enough to stand out. Then again, if you found someone who could help you, show you how to train or tell you tricks for the examination, perhaps you could have an advantage in that way?

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 294**

**Look around the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 295**


	150. Chapter 150

There was a brief moment, shared between the two of you as he charged. Both of you looked into each other’s eyes, and then-

You bolted, leaping over a box and dashing down a nearby alley. You weren’t entirely sure how you were going to outrun someone so large and so fast, but you were determined to do it no matter how difficult.

To your great surprise, it was easier than you expected – apparently, he hadn’t been counting on you making a sudden movement, and rather than follow you down the alley to the side, he plowed straight on through and continued until he was several yards past. You heard the sounds of crashing, and what you could’ve sworn was the clatter and noise of an entire house collapsing, but you didn’t pay attention to that as you forced yourself to run even faster. Then it occurred to you that, since he had seen you run and was expecting it, you might have a chance to escape. You threw yourself in a corner between two tightly wedged houses, turning sideways and cramming in as far as you could. 

“Keeennnyyyyy! He’s getting awaaaaaay!”

“Damn it, I tripped! Which way did he go?!”

“That way!”

You flinched and awaited the sound of approaching footsteps. But to your surprise they didn’t even come in your direction – they began to quickly fade away, almost in the opposite direction. You probably wouldn’t have even needed to hide to avoid being spotted.

You sighed and brushed yourself off. The sun was setting, and you had no time left to find a home; ruefully you cursed the intruders, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to blame your own actions. The feeling of a full belly was just too satisfying and fulfilling to regret. With little else to do, you found a corner of the alleys where there didn’t appear to have been much traffic, piled some rubbish around you to protect you and your remaining coin from sight, and went to sleep.

~~~~

You awoke, sore and stiff, the following morning. You sighed, and thought as to what you would do. You had no place to stay, still, and the money you had would barely be enough for one night, at most.

Then again, perhaps that was enough? You had discovered a few days ago that there were Shinigami Academy entrance exams… tomorrow, in fact. You hadn’t had much time to prepare, but perhaps with only a day to go it didn’t matter so much if you went without food. You could abandon survival – for a day, anyway – and focus on getting in. The question was, how?

You could train yourself, try to make yourself strong enough to stand out. Then again, if you found someone who could help you, show you how to train or tell you tricks for the examination, perhaps you could have an advantage in that way? Hell, you’d survived an attack form a Hollow; was that enough to get in on its own? Probably not. You decided in the end to-

**Train as hard as you could: Go to Chapter 296**

**Look around the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 297**


	151. Chapter 151

With a slight cringe, you lifted as much of the candy as you could fit in both your hands, holding it out toward the charging man. It wasn’t like you could outrun him; he was barreling toward you with all the force of a steam train. To your surprise, he was able to stop almost perfectly, and his hands reached down toward the stack of candy…

Plucking two hard candies from the top of the pile and then handing it over to the little girl on top of his shoulder.

“But Kenny, he was gonna give us the-“

“We can buy some tomorrow, Yachiru!” The man – Kenny – growled, but in a surprisingly… non-threatening way. “I’m not being responsible for you rotting out your teeth.”

“Awww, you’re no fun at alllll!” Yachiru cried out, but she immediately latched onto the candy and had it practically inhaled in seconds.

Kenny just turned away and started walking off, but you weren’t inclined to let him leave just yet. Whoever this guy was, he was certainly strange, but your initial impression of danger or hostility didn’t seem to have been totally on the mark.

“Wait, uh… Kenny,” you called out, “who are you two?”

The tall man shot a glare over his shoulder, and although it looked more annoyed than actually angry, it still silenced you. “Don’t call me Kenny!” He barked. “My name is Zaraki Kenpachi… and I’m the strongest fighter in Soul Society.”

A chill ran up your spine. Was he serious? He couldn’t be… then again, your eyes caught the glimmer of the sword at his waist. He had a dangerous aura around him, which had given you a lot of your initial impression, and for some reason you didn’t doubt his claim entirely. Still, you had a hard time picturing the most powerful Shinigami not wearing Shinigami robes, barely following Shinigami mannerisms, and carrying a small child around on his back. Not to mention the fact that they both looked like regular kids from the slum.

“Kenny’s gonna go kill a Captain!” Yachiru squealed with glee. Your eyes widened – that was almost as bold a claim as the first one, in its own way. And if he was really a Shinigami, why would he be going to kill one of the others? You had so many questions, but…

He was already leaving again, and if he picked up the pace you knew you’d only have a second or two. So you decided quickly to-

**Ask him to take you with him: Go to Chapter 298**

**Ask him to train you: Go to Chapter 299**

**Stay quiet and find a place to sleep: Go to Chapter 300**


	152. Chapter 152

“Will you help me train? I don’t know how much I can do in one day, but I want to be prepared for tomorrow.” Your resolves was firm, and it showed in your voice.

“Excellent,” Nanao said. For the first time you saw what looked like a genuine smile touch her face. “If you keep that attitude, you’d make an excellent Shinigami.”

You beamed at the approval. You looked back to the food, scoffing down several more bites, and when you looked back up she was suddenly holding two wooden swords.

“This is the easiest thing I can train you in before you attend the Academy. If you show enough Spiritual Pressure during your examination, or if you demonstrate sufficient mastery of one of the Shinigami arts like Zanjutsu, there’s a very high probability that they will let you in regardless of the other examinees potential talent.”

You nodded vigorously. She was a lot more… wordy than most of the people you knew, but that just made you a little more confident in what she was saying.

“Now, hurry and finish eating. We’ll begin training as soon as you’re finished.”

Determination steeled you. You would do everything in your power to be worthy of becoming a Shinigami.

~~~~

“This is the proper stance to hold a sword in for a trainee. Learn it and use it well, or they will beat it into you at the Academy.”

Nanao instructed you on each way to hold a blade, depending on one’s purpose, be it offense, defense, or somewhere in between. Then she began to show you how to strike and defend, smooth, flowing movements that felt somewhat awkward at first and yet somehow natural; no doubt knowledge and technique that she and her predecessor Shinigami had learned and developed over years and years.

You were so busy focusing on trying to absorb every flick of the blade that you barely realized what was happening when she finally tossed the blade to the wall.

“That isn’t much, but it’s all that we have time for. The Captain is expecting me back before sunset, and at least one of us needs to be on time.” She rolled her eyes at some unspoken memory, or perhaps the imaginary figure of her Captain. “You’ll have to find some other way to fill the rest of your day, I’m afraid.”

“Do you… do you think I have a shot?”

Nanao opened her eyes wide, as if that were the very last thing she’d ever expected to hear from you. She hesitated a moment, then looked thoughtful.

“…I think you’ll be fine, as long as you do your best and strive to be a true Shinigami.”

“I always wanted to be a Shinigami.”

She stopped, having turned around to make her way out, and gave you a sidelong glance.

“Everyone in the Rukongai did,” you amended, wondering if she thought you were silly despite the simple nature of the dream. “Shinigami are like heroes. They just… always seemed so strong. So helpful. I just… I guess I wanted to thank you, for helping me out like that.”

“I… There’s no need to thank me,” Nanao said. For a moment you thought she turned red, but you didn’t look long enough to tell. She gave you one last wave and then disappeared from your doorway, in such a rush that she left the blades behind. The sun was arcing downward in the distance, the training and food of the day taking up a large portion of the day, but you still had some time. You had to decide what to do… you could continue training with these, try to master the skills that she had taught you, or you could venture out into the Rukongai – hopefully for the last time ever.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 301**

**Explore the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 302**


	153. Chapter 153

“I want to train, but I think I need to do this on my own. Your Captain probably needs you, anyway.” Your resolve was firm, and it showed in your voice.

“If only he knew how much,” Nanao said. An exasperated look crossed her face before she was able to stop it, and she fought to regain your composure. “I appreciate the thought, anyway. Your determination will serve you well if you do become a Shinigami.”

You beamed at the approval. You looked back to the food, scoffing down several more bites, and when you looked back up she was standing at the doorway.

You nodded vigorously. She was a lot more… wordy than most of the people you knew, but that just made you a little more confident in what she was saying. She seemed ready to say goodbye, but you couldn’t help yourself from asking one more question.

“I don’t feel that special from anyone else, not really. I’m going to do everything I can to get in… but do you think I have a shot?”

Nanao opened her eyes wide, as if that were the very last thing she’d ever expected to hear from you. She hesitated a moment, then looked thoughtful.

“I think that as long as you prove that you’re willing to give it your all, no matter how hard it gets, they’d be foolish not to let you in.”

You smiled at her, thankful for the praise, even if she didn’t directly say that you’d make it in for sure. “Thank you, Nanao.”

“I… There’s no need to thank me,” Nanao said. For a moment you thought she turned red, but you didn’t look long enough to tell. She gave you one last wave and then disappeared from your doorway, in such a rush that she left the blades behind. You set your mind to work… you were going to have to work hard, if you wanted to stand out in the eyes of the examiners.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The memory of the Hollow attack was enough to make you realize just how dire your situation was – you’d be in more danger as a Shinigami, true, but at least you’d be able to protect yourself. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 303**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 304**


	154. Chapter 154

“It’s my last day out here… the last day before the exams. You can head back to the Seireitei, if you want, I’m going to enjoy it,” you said with a small smile.

She did not so much appreciate the gaiety in your voice as you expected. A frown crossed her face, and she gave a long sigh of disapproval as she pushed up her glasses slightly.

“Well, if my Captain can get away with it, perhaps you’d make an excellent Shinigami after all,” she remarked. The sarcasm in her voice seriously nulled any confidence _that_ might have given you, if any at all. She stood and brushed herself off, before returning to the door.

“I’ll be taking my leave. Good luck in whatever you choose to do, you’ll need it.” Rather than a threat, the last part almost seemed like a promise. Then she was gone, around the corner before you could even hope to say anything else.

You just kicked back. She may not have been happy with you, but you weren’t too concerned. After yesterday, you deserved a break anyway… with the entire Hollow attack, you would’ve preferred not to think too much today anyway.

After an hour or so, though, you started to get bored. And the more bored you got, the more your mind turned back to the attack. You knew the Hollow was dead, that it couldn’t hurt you… but every time that you thought about it, that familiar chill returned to your chest with a vengeance.

Deciding it best to get your mind off of things with a little exercise, you went for a walk around the Rukongai. You stayed close to home, but it definitely helped clear your head. Looking at the people bustling about their daily lives – the shopkeepers, those that held actual work, and those that were simply waiting for the right opportunity ti pilfer whatever they could – kept you thinking about other things long enough to forget all your troubles. And when the sun started to set, and the people returned to their homes, you felt confident that you’d gotten a good look at your old home. You could leave tomorrow without any regrets, if you managed to get into the Shinigami Academy.

As you laid down, the fresh night air just beginning to replace the humid day, you wondered what the future held for you.

~~~~

When you awoke, the morning sun was rising – in fact, it was rising a little too quickly. Your eyelids fluttered open and adrenaline surged through your veins. The test was in only an hour! That wasn’t much time, and you had hoped to prepare, at least a little! You scanned what little you remembered hearing about the exam in your memories from the woman who had spoken of them a bit last night; she had mentioned the district. It was at least a forty minute walk… and twenty minutes wasn’t enough time to do much if anything.

You had to decide – was it more important to risk being late, and potentially upsetting the examiners, if you got in at all? Or was the extra strength more than being on time could’ve won you?

**Cram in some last-minute training: Go to Chapter 305**

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 306**


	155. Chapter 155

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. Even those that knew something seemed extraordinarily hesitant – the Hollow attack had put everyone on edge, whether it be from an actual threat or a curious child. You could do little; the fear in their eyes told you that they would not be assuaged. You wondered if some of them recognized you from the area that had been attacked. Suddenly, you wished that you’d thought to ask the Shinigami you’d met for help – at least they would know what you needed to prepare for.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventies of the districts, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 307**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 308**


	156. Chapter 156

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The memory of the Hollow attack was enough to make you realize just how dire your situation was – you’d be in more danger as a Shinigami, true, but at least you’d be able to protect yourself. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 309**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 310**


	157. Chapter 157

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 311**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 312**


	158. Chapter 158

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 313**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 314**


	159. Chapter 159

“Sure, sounds awesome!” You gave a thumbs up and started after them.

“Hah! Told you we’d need the third sword,” Rukia said. “Looks like _you_ get the shorter one, and we’re taking _my_ way.”

“Whatever, you had no idea he was just gonna show up like that!” Renji called back. Despite his earlier behavior, he seemed almost resigned to your presence now. He glanced back at you and gave a grunt. “Hurry up, if you’re coming along you’d better at least be able to keep up!”

You were pretty sure that you could keep up with what amounted to a fast walk, but you decided to keep your mouth shut so that, hopefully, he could warm up to you. A little. Maybe?

After a little over an hour of quick walking, and judging by the look on Rukia’s face as you arrived at a vaguely forested area, you must have arrived at the training zone. She was quick to confirm your suspicions.

“Hah! Told you this was the way! We won’t even have to walk ten minutes to get to the exam from here.” Rukia pointed victoriously toward a direction you couldn’t even guess at; you were in a part of the Rukongai you’d rarely explored, and never mapped out in your head.

“Whatever, let’s just get started,” Renji growled, leaving the sack that he was carrying off to the side, but where it was in plain sight so that nobody could steal from it without being spotted.

“You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she threw you a spare. You caught it awkwardly in the air, while she grinned at you the whole time. “He threw himself at a shopkeeper without hesitating; I want to see what he can really do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 315**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 316**


	160. Chapter 160

“Sorry, I’m actually about to head home.”

Rukia looked mildly disappointed but ended up shrugging it away. “Alright, we’ll be at Shinjo Park if you change your mind.”

“Bah, let him rot. We’ll be in the advanced class by the time he’s even ready to apply!” Renji said happily. The two of them marched off quickly, arguing the whole way about which of their paths was the correct one to take.

You turned back and headed to your house. You were a long way from home, but managed to make decent time back, and the sun was just beginning its descent.

You had enough time left in the day to do… something, at any rate. But what could you use your time for?

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 317**

**Enjoy your last day in the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 318**


	161. Chapter 161

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself hard, driven on by imaginings of yourself as the new Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, the most powerful Shinigami ever born. The image still brought a smile to your face, but the pain was taking it away quickly. You still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 319**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 320**


	162. Chapter 162

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 321**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 322**


	163. Chapter 163

“Sure, sounds awesome!” You gave a thumbs up and started after them.

“Hah! Told you we’d need the third sword,” Rukia said. “Looks like _you_ get the shorter one, and we’re taking _my_ way.”

“Whatever, you had no idea he was just gonna show up like that!” Renji called back. Despite his earlier behavior, he seemed almost resigned to your presence now. He glanced back at you and gave a grunt. “Hurry up, if you’re coming along you’d better at least be able to keep up!”

You were pretty sure that you could keep up with what amounted to a fast walk, but you decided to keep your mouth shut so that, hopefully, he could warm up to you. A little. Maybe?

After a little over an hour of quick walking, and judging by the look on Rukia’s face as you arrived at a vaguely forested area, you must have arrived at the training zone. She was quick to confirm your suspicions.

“Hah! Told you this was the way! We won’t even have to walk ten minutes to get to the exam from here.” Rukia pointed victoriously toward a direction you couldn’t even guess at; you were in a part of the Rukongai you’d rarely explored, and never mapped out in your head.

“Whatever, let’s just get started,” Renji growled, leaving the sack that he was carrying off to the side, but where it was in plain sight so that nobody could steal from it without being spotted.

“You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she threw you a spare. You caught it awkwardly in the air, while she grinned at you the whole time. “He threw himself at a shopkeeper without hesitating; I want to see what he can really do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 323**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 324**


	164. Chapter 164

“Sorry, I’m actually about to head home.”

Rukia looked mildly disappointed but ended up shrugging it away. “Alright, we’ll be at Shinjo Park if you change your mind.”

“Bah, let him rot. We’ll be in the advanced class by the time he’s even ready to apply!” Renji said happily. The two of them marched off quickly, arguing the whole way about which of their paths was the correct one to take.

You turned back and headed to your house. You were a long way from home, but managed to make decent time back, and the sun was just beginning its descent.

You had enough time left in the day to do… something, at any rate. But what could you use your time for?

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 325**

**Enjoy your last day in the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 326**


	165. Chapter 165

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you could more firmly grab her. You wrapped your fingers around Rukia’s wrist and brought her to a sudden stop, nearly falling forward as her full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but seeing the look on the raven-haired girl’s face made it worth it.

She looked toward the ground for a moment, as if not understanding why it wasn’t getting any closer. Then she looked back up toward you and smiled gently.

“I believe that’s twice I owe you, now.”

Renji landed rather a bit less gracefully, even as you were helping Rukia ascend to the branch again. His fall was rather cushioned, though – he landed squarely on the sack full of bread that he had been lifting into the tree. You grimaced at the sound of the impact; a mixture between a thud and soft air whooshing. He grunted as he hit, but made no severe sound of anguish. He did, however, start shouting up at you.

“Hey! I’m the one carrying food, you’d think you could at least _tried_ to protect the bread.”

Rukia giggled at him, seeing that he wasn’t really hurt. “Don’t mind him, _he_ doesn’t have the manners to save the one who’d actually get hurt. He never stops thinking with his stomach!”

Renji shouted something else, but you couldn’t hear it over your laughter and Rukia’s.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, you had spread the sack open a bit and checked the damage to the bread. Some of it was ground up by the impact, but for the most part it was alright… just a little flat.

“I’m not sure I want to eat any of this now that Renji’s laid in it,” Rukia said with a wry smirk aimed at the redhead, “no telling where he’s been.”

“Last I checked, Rukia, you were the one who skipped bathing for a whole week because trekking down to the lake was ‘boring’.”

Rukia rolled her eyes. “More like because I don’t go around rolling in the mud for sport like you, Renji!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

Well, friend. Renji was still kind of a dick.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… women, I suppose,” you said with a laugh. “Think about it. All the Shinigami are so loved, it must be super easy for them to pick someone up. All they have to do is walk around and they’ve got people fawning over them.”

“Now that’s a reason I can get behind,” Renji said with a chuckle. “Maybe you’ve got the right idea after all.”

Rukia stared between the two of you with a deadpan look on her face. Did you see a bead of sweat drop down her face?

“I… see. It’s a wonder you two don’t get along better,” she said with a sigh and a roll of the eyes.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light faded. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little left out, but in the end, you felt yourself fading out as well.

 _”Not a bad day…”_ You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! I’m glad I was the one who got saved,” Rukia said with a cocky smile. “I’m sure you would’ve just fallen again anyway. It seems like you and gravity have a bit of a grudge against each other, Renji.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start! We can eat on the way there,” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground. He plucked a loaf of bread from the sack that wasn’t badly smashed and munched on it.

Rukia turned back to you with a half-sarcastic smile. “Well? Come on, _womanizer_ , wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and shrugged at the comment. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 327**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 328**


	166. Chapter 166

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you wouldn’t be caught off guard by the weight of Renji and his load. You gripped Renji’s forearm tightly, your grip slipping for a moment as the full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but Renji’s panicked look turning into one of shock and relief made it worthwhile.

Renji looked toward the ground and then breathed a little sigh of relief. “That was a close one.”

Rukia’s landing was less graceful. She had fallen almost flat on her back, and the impact was a painfully resonating one, from what you could hear. You and Renji both winced at the sound, but thankfully Rukia was up after a moment, rubbing at her spine toward her waist.

“Hey! Anyone ever tell you about proper manners?! Save the woman!”

“Hey, the food’s safe,” Renji called back with a grin on his face. “I think that’s pretty good manners!”

Rukia gave a “hmph” sound, and glared at both of you the entire time she was crawling back up the tree.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Maybe you should just leave me behind altogether next time!”

“Oh, lighten up, Rukia. The fall wasn’t that bad. Besides, you’ve got plenty to cushion the fall!”

Rukia turned red with fury, but kept her voice calm as she replied. “Hah! As if I can get enough food for that with you around! It’s a miracle you didn’t already devour this whole sack while we were training, fatty!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… women, I suppose,” you said with a laugh. “Think about it. All the Shinigami are so loved, it must be super easy for them to pick someone up. All they have to do is walk around and they’ve got people fawning over them.”

“Now that’s a reason I can get behind,” Renji said with a chuckle. “Maybe you’ve got the right idea after all.”

Rukia stared between the two of you with a deadpan look on her face. Did you see a bead of sweat drop down her face?

“I… see. No wonder you two have been getting along so well,” she said with a sigh.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light faded. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little left out, but in the end, you felt yourself fading out as well.

 _”Not a bad day…”_ You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Told you I should’ve been the one that got saved,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; annoyed expectation? “Well? Come on, _womanizer_ , wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and shrugged at the comment. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 329**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 330**


	167. Chapter 167

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You thought back to that woman you saw, vague though she was in your mind, and imagined her at your side, praising you and cheering on your efforts. The image still brought a smile to your face, but the pain was taking it away quickly. You still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 331**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 332**


	168. Chapter 168

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. You idly turned the dream you’d had last night over and over in your head, the image of the woman somehow comforting. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 333**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 334**


	169. Chapter 169

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was just beginning its descent, fading into the distance slowly, having crossed the top of the sky almost two hours ago.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had earlier that morning with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday. As long as you didn’t run into anyone like that big guy again.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 335**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 336**


	170. Chapter 170

As the dawning sun rose, you were already up and moving. You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They obviously weren’t Shinigami yet, nobles or no.

However, while Rukongai citizens knew surprisingly little about the examinations beyond the obvious, you soon found someone a bit closer to what you were looking for…

~~~~

“I promise I’ll visit after the examinations tomorrow.”

It was actually the last place that you had been expecting to find yourself, but you’d been so distracted over your disappointment that you barely noticed where your feet had carried you. It was a park, doubling as a gravesite for the Rukongai. In front of you a blonde-haired boy was staring at a tombstone, after saying several words. You’d wandered so close that you couldn’t help but catch the last of it; perhaps, then, it was no wonder that when he turned away from the stone the first thing he saw was you.

Having stopped in your tracks when you heard the voice, you were acutely aware of how much it looked like you’d just been eavesdropping on what was surely a very private conversation.

“I, uh, sorry, I was just passing through, I didn’t- I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“N-no, it’s fine, this is… you’re free to pass as you wish,” the blonde boy replied, a bit surprised still.

“But I couldn’t help but overhear… are you applying to the academy too?” The question came out more as a way to switch the subject and maybe give you an exit, rather than an actual curiosity, but neither of you minded the shift.

“Yes... I hope to become a Shinigami very soon. It has been a dream of mine for some time,” he replied a little stiffly. “My name is Kira. Izuru Kira.”

You nodded and smiled at Kira, trying to be polite, but the sound of voices from farther off drew your attention as well. You cast a sidelong glance to see if there was someone else approaching, then did a double take as you saw who it was. A black-haired girl and a crimson-headed boy were walking through the park side of the park-cemetary, arguing loudly enough for both of you to hear. A soft smile touched your face as you remembered the little adventure that you’d gotten in with Renji and Rukia. Your eyes briefly slid over the swords strapped to their backs, and the sack of bread they were carrying. It appeared they were on the move… perhaps they, too, were going to the examinations tomorrow? It seemed like everyone was preparing. Perhaps you could talk one of these three into training with you – then again, you could just head home and call it a day. Clearly you weren’t going to find the information you’d set out for, either way.

You quickly decided that the best course of action was to…

**Ask Kira if he would be willing to train with you: Go to Chapter 337**

**Try to join up with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 338**

**Head home: Go to Chapter 339**


	171. Chapter 171

“Can I come with you?”

The question came out so unafraid and unhesitant you weren’t entirely certain that you’d been the one to ask it, for a moment. Whether this guy just seemed a little friendlier than expected or if you just had the brass to do it, you’d chosen your path.

Kenny gave you a once over, then sneered. “Sorry, kid, I ain’t got time for weaklings.”

“Kenny, he can take us to the candy shooooop!” Yachiru whined.

Kenny grunted at her, then looked you over again, as if he’d already forgotten what it was he’d seen the first time.

“Fine. You take us to the nearest place I can buy Yachiru something sweet, and you can tag along with us as far as that. You don’t seem to be scared of me like most people around here, so maybe it won’t be so bad. You fall behind, you get left behind. You get in my way… I’ll cut you down first.”

Perhaps scariest about the way he said it was the fact that he didn’t even have any anger, or malice in his voice. Just calm assurance that there would be no other alternative. Whatever. You shook it off and looked him in the eye.

“So… are we going?”

Kenny looked around, as if finally realizing that the sun had long since set now.

“No. We’re sleeping here,” Kenny said, smashing down a nearby door with his fist. The wood creaked and snapped harshly, opening a way as Kenny walked in over the discarded door. No screams came from within, and no sounds indicated he’d crushed anyone as he walked over the door, so it seemed like it had been unoccupied… somehow.

“Aww but Kenny, I-“

“You’re already getting candy tomorrow, Yachiru! Be a good girl, and go to sleep,” Kenny grumbled. Despite his deep tone, and his rough exterior, he seemed surprisingly gentle as he plucked the pink-haired girl from his shoulder and laid her down in the corner.

He looked back at you and gave a grunt. “Pick a corner, and don’t keep me up all night.”

With that, he rolled over, facing the wall and resting himself to sleep.

His mannerisms continued to awe you. Nobody in the Rukongai slept with their back exposed like that – even the girl was curled up in a corner. This man wasn’t just brave… he had an absolute lack of fear. You tried to clear him from your mind as you found a corner to sleep in.

Surprisingly… you found yourself feeling somewhat safer yourself, just by having the big guy between you and the door.

~~~~~~

You awoke to the sounds of stomping in the morning. When your eyes opened you saw Kenny, standing tall and stepping around heavily. Almost as soon as your eyes opened up he cast a glance back at you, looking angry and annoyed, but a moment after he saw you his face went back to a neutral scowl.

“Finally up, eh? ‘bout time, I was getting ready to leave you behind. Come on, we’ve got a long walk to the forty-ninth.”

“Kenny…” you said quickly. Before you could continue, he shot you a puzzled look and gave a scoff.

“The name’s Kenpachi. Zaraki Kenpachi.”

“Yeaaah, Kenny!” Yachiru squealed happily.

“Well… Kenpachi, can’t we stick around here for a little while?” Not knowing how he’d react, you quickly continued. “I… I want to become a Shinigami too. But I’m not very strong. I want to train before we go… just for a little while.”

You thought he’d refuse. He’d seemed very adamant about going, and his impatience had shown when you first awoke. But he looked thoughtful for a moment. That concentration broke when he let out a snort of dismissal and waved his hand at you.

“Fine, whatever; fight Yachiru.”

Your eyes widened as the pink-haired girl leaped from Kenpachi’s shoulders and started screaming about getting to fight someone. She did a little dance, the whole while Kenpachi looking on with a sneer on his face, as if expecting some great disappointment at any moment.

You weren’t so sure about this, suddenly…

**Fight Yachiru: Go to Chapter 340**

**Refuse to fight her: Go to Chapter 341**


	172. Chapter 172

“I’m going to head home now… it’s getting pretty late.”

The man, Kenny, gave a grunt. Other than that, he didn’t even bother to look at you, as you walked away. You got the distinct feeling he could’ve cared less. Whatever, it just meant you were free to head home.

You hadn’t been a great distance from home, so it didn’t take as long as you had feared to arrive. It was dark, of course, but you were curled up in the corner and falling asleep not too long after the sun had set. You knew that today had been nice… but there was something on your mind.

The Shinigami Academy.

There were examinations in just two days; that gave you only one to prepare… and you weren’t sure if you could make it in. You needed to work, hard, on improving yourself. Then again, you could look around. Perhaps someone would have information on the examinations, give you a tip or a hint that would put you ahead of the curve.

As your head hit the dirt and your eyes closed, you already knew what your path was…

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 342**

**Look around the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 343**


	173. Chapter 173

You decided to follow after Rukia; honestly, between the two you figured she was the one that knew where she was going the best, from what you’d seen of the two so far.

“Ah, decided to tag along, huh?” Rukia said with an amused smile when you caught up to her. “That’s good. If you’d followed after Renji there’s no telling how far away you’d be from where he _thinks_ he’s going.”

You just smirked. “That’s about what I was thinking.”

The two of you talked and laughed all the way to the area she’d been seeking out. It was a park/graveyard combination, and it looked like she planned to stay on the park side as best as she could and train there, judging by the area she was headed to.

“This should be fine.”

The next thing you knew, you were getting a wooden sword tossed at your face. Without thinking too much, you caught the blade, fumbling a little bit with the handle as you tried to get it into a good position. When you finally had it steadied, you looked back up to Rukia, who only answered your questioning gaze with a cocky stare at first.

“What? You didn’t think we were just going to be doing push-ups, did you?!” Rukia shouted out, as she hefted the sword up into what looked like a fairly skilled stance. “Besides, I want to see what you can do after you tackled that shopkeeper so quickly!”

You sighed as you realized that without Renji, you were going to have to take the full brunt of the training.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but Rukia didn’t criticize you or berate you. She just started giving you some tips on how to improve yourself.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and as you drilled on, she continued to get the best of you.

Neither of you let up until a familiar voice broke your concentration.

“HEY! I knew I’d get here if I just kept following my path!”

Renji appeared from over the crest of a hill not too far away from both of you. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion, gazing toward the redhead who seemed oblivious to the fact that he had been gone for several hours.

“Geez, Renji, how far did you go?” Rukia asked, a completely dumbfounded expression on her face.

“What do you mean?! I told you that my path would get us here! You were just too stubborn to listen,” Renji said, tossing the bread sack to the ground and cracking his knuckles. “Now, let’s get this party started!”

You swore you saw a drop of sweat fall down Rukia’s face, distinctly larger than the rest you’d already worked up.

“Renji… we’re totally done.”

“WHAT?!”

The shocked look on his face was so hilarious you almost collapsed to the ground in a fit of laughter, but that probably would’ve only hurt your bruised ribs more.

“Are you telling me you two trained without me?!” Renji shouted, shaking his fist angrily, most of it directed at you.

“I figured by the time you got here, the exams would already be over,” Rukia said in that simple, disbelieving tone.

“I can’t believe you two! Fine, whatever, I’m strong enough to get in without any more training anyway!” Renji pumped his fist in the air to accentuate his point. “Let’s just get some sleep!”

“Right. Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened  you knew they were planning on staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden sword she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Bah, I’ve got it,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia ignored him anyway and pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all going to be Shinigami!”

By the time all of you got settled in on the top branches, the sun was well on its way to vanishing. You had all found comfortable perches in the upper branches, and were now sharing a good portion of the bread haul Renji had been carrying so that you’d all have plenty of food when the time for testing came tomorrow.

“Gee Renji, I guess we’re just going to leave you behind with all that extra training,” Rukia teased. “We might even be a class ahead of you.”

Renji just scoffed. “Please, you need the extra time just to try to catch up with me! I was already _three_ classes ahead of you, much less the new idiot over here. Probably why you’d rather train without me, I’m just too intimidating.”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, partially to break the tension. Renji seemed a little more aggressive than usual. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

Well, friend. Renji was still being kind of a dick.

“Good luck to both of you. Really,” Rukia said suddenly, in a voice so soft and low you almost thought you imagined it. “I… I hope to see both of you at the Academy.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Renji said. It had a certain attitude to it, like he always did, but even his voice seemed a little bit restrained. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“It’s been my dream,” you said, keeping your voice as somber as theirs. “I won’t let it slip through my fingers.”

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light faded. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little left out, but in the end, you felt yourself fading out as well.

 _”Not a bad day…”_ You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! I don’t know why we trust you with the food,” Rukia said with a cocky smile. “It’s a miracle you didn’t smash it all. It seems like you and gravity have a bit of a grudge against each other, Renji.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start! We can eat on the way there,” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground. He plucked a loaf of bread from the sack that he could reach easily and snacked on it.

Rukia turned back to you with a half-sarcastic smile. “Well? Come on, Shinigami, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and shrugged at the comment. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 344**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 345**


	174. Chapter 174

You decided to follow after Renji. He hadn’t been the kindest to you so far, but judging by what you’d just seen between the two of them, it was possible that he was just always like that. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to get a better friendship with the overly aggressive one.

“Why are you following me, eh?” Renji seemed almost more confused than angry at your presence. “I can train on my own, thanks.”

Ignoring the sarcasm behind his thanks, you laughed a little bit to break some of the tension. “I figured you could. But I know you’ve got the food, and I was hoping you’d let me tag along and train with you. I don’t know who’s going the right way, but you seem like you might be the stronger between you two.”

Renji raised an eyebrow at you, then just smiled and laughed – the first time you’d seen him actually smile at you.

“Now, there’s the first smart thing I’ve heard you say! Come on, I’m sure this is the right way!”

Renji kept leading you along the path only he saw, now talking casually with you and boasting about how quickly he’d make it into the academy. You were beginning to get worried – having continued on for nearly an hour, at that point, and Renji’s attitude constantly worsening – when he finally pointed to a small patch of trees to one side of the road victoriously. It wasn’t much, but then again, you weren’t sure how much ground you’d really need.

“This should be fine.”

The next thing you knew, you were getting a wooden sword tossed at your face. Without thinking too much, you caught the blade, fumbling a little bit with the handle as you tried to get it into a good position. When you finally had it steadied, you looked up just in time to see Renji coming at you with his sword hefted up in the air. You threw yourself to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow as it smashed into the ground, tossing up clumps of dirt. Ignoring your shouted protests, Renji just glared at you.

“What? You didn’t think we were just going to be doing push-ups, did you?!” Renji pulled back the sword into a fighting stance once again. “Give it all you’ve got, and don’t make this a waste of my time!”

You sighed in exasperation as Renji came at you once again. You felt almost certain that you were going to end up regretting this.

~~~~~

Renji’s blows came quickly, harshly, and oww-ly. That last one may not have been a word, but that didn’t stop Renji from beating it into you as he landed blow after blow. When you went almost fifteen minutes without landing a blow and barely blocking any of his own, Renji got fed up and finally took the time to show you some more basic techniques. He showed you a proper stance, some basic blocks, and then he was back to testing everything he’d just thrown at you.

When the sun began to set, Renji finally called it off. He’d barely given you a breather during the whole thing, and it was honestly wearing on him as much as it was you, though he wouldn’t admit to it. You had mostly been forced on the defensive, and while you were sure it had been a good experience for you, swinging his sword around so much had really taken it out of him.

“Done… done already?” Renji said with a taunt in his voice, despite the fact that he’d been the one to stop his assault. “Fine, whatever, I’m sure that was enough for one day!” Renji pumped his fist in the air to accentuate his point. “Let’s just get some sleep!”

“I wonder what happened to Rukia,” you said quietly. Renji put his hand to his chin, then gave a sigh.

“She probably got lost. Typical Rukia, right?” When you remained silent he continued on. “She’s got a loaf of bread stashed in that robe of hers, don’t you worry; she won’t go hungry. We’ll meet up with her tomorrow at the entrance exams! Now, help me get this-“ Renji grunted, hefting the sack for emphasis, “-into the tree!”

“In the tree?” You said, a bit puzzled, as you stared up into the nearest branches.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with this food,” Renji grunted as he went over to the trunk and began climbing rapidly without you. “I know people who’d kill for this much.”

You couldn’t argue with that, so you followed Renji up into the tree and found yourself getting settled in quickly. Despite the relative friendliness he’d had earlier, tiredness and the soreness that came with hard training had settled in over Renji, and without much conversation at all he’d drifted off even as you were still getting settled in for the night.

Still… you found yourself not displeased with how the day had turned out. You were stronger – that much, at least, you could easily tell. You were a bit more skilled with a blade, wooden though it was, and perhaps had turned an annoyance into a friend. Tomorrow, you were sure, would be an even better result. You wouldn’t allow yourself to think otherwise.

 _”Not a bad day…”_ You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“Renji! Are you alright?” You shouted over the side of the branch you were sleeping upon.

Renji grumbled, but pulled himself back up after a few seconds.

“Yeah, I’m fine! Throw my sack down, will ya?”

You reached Renji’s branch after waking up enough to not stumble out of the tree yourself, then tossed it down. Renji caught it and immediately slung it over his shoulder, setting off for the Shinigami Academy.

“Hurry up, or you’re gonna be late! Exams start any minute now,” Renji shouted over his shoulder.

You wondered, though, if that was the best idea. The exams were easy to find; even in this unfamiliar area, you were sure you could get there on your own before they started. But… should you? You could always stay here, train for a little while longer before heading out. That would almost definitely make you late, though. What was more important, showing up on time? Or was it being as strong as you possibly could?

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 346**

**Go with Renji to the exams: Go to Chapter 347**


	175. Chapter 175

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this chapter; I meant to add these choices at the end of the last chapter, but I messed up and now it's stuck this way without re-arranging every other chapter.

Your late sleep the previous day had caused you to wake up so early the following morning that you were almost up before the sun. As the early rays of the dawning star caught your eye, you stepped free from the house and looked around.

Your eyes adjusted to the light as you started to wonder what it was that you should do. You had time… lots of time, actually. The exams weren’t due to start until just before midday, and it wasn’t that far of a walk. You could use the time to train. If you made yourself stronger you had that much better of a chance to get into the Academy. Of course… you could always look around the Rukongai. You could search for the two you’d met two days earlier. Or, alternatively, you could look for anyone who could give you advice. That, too, would give you an edge when it came time for the examinations.

Which would be the best choice, though?

**Train before the exams: Go to Chapter 348**

**Find the two from before: Go to Chapter 349**

**Look around the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 350**


	176. Chapter 176

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it from the day before that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was just beginning its descent, fading into the distance slowly, having crossed the top of the sky almost two hours ago.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had yesterday with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 351**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 352**


	177. Chapter 177

When the morning light dawned you immediately set out toward the direction that you recalled their home being in. It was a ways away, and you thought that it might take you a while, but hopefully you could find them. If you could, you could ask them what they were going to do about the entrance exams; they had almost certainly heard about them, and if they had any kind of drive or devotion at all you were sure they would try their hand. Judging by the way they acted, they certainly had the spirit and the desire to escape the Rukongai.

It took longer than you would’ve liked, but eventually you were able to pick out landmarks that you knew were in the vicinity. Since you had only been here once before it still wasn’t easy to pick out the correct direction, but eventually you found them. More by their sound than the sight, though…

“For the last time, it’s this way Renji!”

“I’m telling you, it’s got to be over here!”

You almost smiled at the familiar sound of arguing. Turning toward them, you saw just two blocks over the familiar redhead and his black-haired friend. If you hadn’t heard them arguing you might’ve missed them entirely, since they were apparently on the move.

“Oi, I’ve been looking all over for you two!”

They both turned to you, with differing expressions. Renji’s anger that had been directed at Rukia turned to slightly lesser annoyance as he glared at you, while Rukia managed to turn her frustrations entirely away, a small smile even cracking out as she looked your way.

“Oh, hey. I remember you.” Rukia’s words were a little bit more somber than you expected from her, but Renji’s words were, unfortunately, about what you expected.

“Help? More like nearly got us killed! Beat it, we don’t need you as bait today,” Renji griped as he turned back to Rukia. “The exams are gonna be that way, so we should go to the training grounds this way,” Renji said, pointing down two different roads very close to each other.

“Exams? Are you two trying to become Shinigami too?” You asked, a bit more surprise than was appropriate creeping into your voice. It wasn’t like you should’ve been shocked, after all.

“Yeah, and butt out of our conversation,” Renji retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at you.

“You want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked, putting a hand to her chin. “You should come with us. We’re going to train near where the exams are tomorrow and sleep overnight.”

“Don’t give away where we’re sleeping! He might be coming after us for all you know!”

You eyed the sack on Renji’s back for a moment, careful not to let him see it. Of course he wasn’t _entirely_ wrong. You were fairly certain that inside that sack was all the bread that they’d stolen yesterday they hadn’t already wolfed down, and there were plenty of people willing to hurt or even kill to get their hands on that much food. Considering you already knew where they lived last night, though, he was starting to-

“You’re sounding a little paranoid there, Renji,” Rukia said with a deadpan expression, before turning back to you. Apparently she’d been thinking the same thing. “Come on, join us! We need to get stronger if we’re going to stand out in the entrance exams, and we can make a lot more progress with three people.”

“Well…” You considered that for a moment. It would be nice, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to or not. There was the matter of how long it would take, plus Renji... well, he was being Renji, from what you knew of him.

**Go with them: Go to Chapter 353**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 354**


	178. Chapter 178

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it from the day before that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was just beginning its descent, fading into the distance slowly, having crossed the top of the sky almost two hours ago.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had yesterday with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 355**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 356**


	179. Chapter 179

When the morning light dawned you immediately set out toward the direction that you recalled their home being in. It was a ways away, and you thought that it might take you a while, but hopefully you could find them. If you could, you could ask them what they were going to do about the entrance exams; they had almost certainly heard about them, and if they had any kind of drive or devotion at all you were sure they would try their hand. Judging by the way they acted, they certainly had the spirit and the desire to escape the Rukongai.

It took longer than you would’ve liked, but eventually you were able to pick out landmarks that you knew were in the vicinity. Since you had only been here once before it still wasn’t easy to pick out the correct direction, but eventually you found them. More by their sound than the sight, though…

“For the last time, it’s this way Renji!”

“I’m telling you, it’s got to be over here!”

You almost smiled at the familiar sound of arguing. Turning toward them, you saw just two blocks over the familiar redhead and his black-haired friend. If you hadn’t heard them arguing you might’ve missed them entirely, since they were apparently on the move.

“Oi, I’ve been looking all over for you two!”

They both turned to you, with differing expressions. Renji’s anger that had been directed at Rukia turned to slightly lesser annoyance as he glared at you, while Rukia managed to turn her frustrations entirely away, a small smile even cracking out as she looked your way.

“I remember you! You helped us out yesterday.” Renji’s words were, unfortunately, about what you expected.

“Help? More like nearly got us killed! And dragged me halfway across the Rukongai… Beat it, we don’t need you as bait today, and you’re not good for much else,” Renji griped as he turned back to Rukia. “The exams are gonna be that way, so we should go to the training grounds this way,” Renji said, pointing down two different roads very close to each other.

“Exams? Are you two trying to become Shinigami too?” You asked, a bit more surprise than was appropriate creeping into your voice. It wasn’t like you should’ve been shocked, after all.

“Yeah, and butt out of our conversation,” Renji retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at you.

“You want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked, putting a hand to her chin. “You should come with us. We’re going to train near where the exams are tomorrow and sleep overnight.”

“Don’t give away where we’re sleeping! He might be coming after us for all you know!”

You eyed the sack on Renji’s back for a moment, careful not to let him see it. Of course he wasn’t _entirely_ wrong. You were fairly certain that inside that sack was all the bread that they’d stolen yesterday they hadn’t already wolfed down, and there were plenty of people willing to hurt or even kill to get their hands on that much food. Considering you already knew where they lived last night, though, he was starting to-

“You’re sounding a little paranoid there, Renji,” Rukia said with a deadpan expression, before turning back to you. Apparently she’d been thinking the same thing. “Come on, join us! We need to get stronger if we’re going to stand out in the entrance exams, and we can make a lot more progress with three people.”

“Well…” You considered that for a moment. It would be nice, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to or not. There was the matter of how long it would take, plus Renji... well, he was being Renji, from what you knew of him.

**Go with them: Go to Chapter 357**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 358**


	180. Chapter 180

“I think we should go with Renji’s idea,” you said suddenly, interrupting them before they went on another offensive at each other. “I don’t really know which area you guys are talking about, but his way takes us a lot closer to the nearest examination location than yours does, Rukia. Worst case we can always go from there and find the nearest one.”

Renji looked moderately surprised to see you agreeing with him, but as soon as he realized that he had Rukia outvoted two-to-one, a giant grin crossed his face.

“Hah! Looks like your new friend there likes me more!”

“Oh, whatever. At least _this_ argument makes sense, you were just plain wrong!” Rukia said with a roll of her eyes. As they passed over you, you couldn’t help but feel as if she was glaring at you.

“My way or the highway. Come on, _pal_ ,” Renji said sarcastically, laughing all the way as he strolled off down the street.

Renji kept leading you along the path only he saw, now talking casually with you and boasting about how quickly he’d make it into the academy. After trekking past a house for what you thought was the third time, you started to get worried – having continued on for nearly an hour, at that point, and Renji’s attitude constantly worsening – when he finally pointed to a small patch of trees to one side of the road victoriously. It wasn’t much, but then again, you weren’t sure how much ground you’d really need.

“This should be fine.”

Rukia raised an eyebrow at him.

“That is _not_ the park we were going to. And I’m pretty sure we’re even _farther_ from the examination.”

“Ah, whatever, we’ll figure it out from here. The important part is the training!”

“Ah, ah, ah! I get to test the new guy out first, since you got us lost!”

Renji tried to object, but Rukia stepped in front of him, and the next thing you knew, you were getting a wooden sword tossed at your face. Without thinking too much, you caught the blade, fumbling a little bit with the handle as you tried to get it into a good position. You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You hadn’t had as much time to train as you’d have liked, thanks to Renji’s little blunder, but it was certainly the biggest workout you’d had in some time.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up already? It’s barely dark, wimps.” Renji’s taunt went unanswered.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after a good workout,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 359**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 360**


	181. Chapter 181

“I think going with Rukia is probably the best idea,” you said between their salvo of words, “it’s the closest to home, so if we want to head back for any reason, there’d be an easy path.”

Renji grumbled something unintelligible, while Rukia just got a cocky grin.

Rukia took you both along the way that she had pointed out, at a pretty quick pace actually. You still had enough time to talk with her about the kind of life they lived together, while Renji moped about in the back. Well, at least he didn't complain much. That was a plus. In no time at all you were entering a large grassy field, and Rukia turned to you with a big smile on her face.

“This should be fine.”

The next thing you knew, you were getting a wooden sword tossed at your face. Without thinking too much, you caught the blade, fumbling a little bit with the handle as you tried to get it into a good position. When you finally had it steadied, you looked back up to Rukia, who only answered your questioning gaze with a cocky stare at first.

"Hey, hold up, I wanna go first!" Renji shouted out, trying to get between you two.

“Ah, ah, ah! I get to test the new guy out first, since you couldn't even remember where the park was!”

You swallowed nervously. This was going to be... fun?

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You hadn’t had as much time to train as you’d have liked, thanks to Renji’s little blunder, but it was certainly the biggest workout you’d had in some time.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up already? It’s barely dark, wimps.” Renji’s taunt went unanswered.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after a good workout,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 361**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 362**


	182. Chapter 182

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the combination of exercise and actually having food in it from the day before that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were bound to make yourself stronger, physically and mentally, and if that meant dealing with a little pain, you could handle it. You kept switching between exercises, never giving yourself a moment’s rest, working one muscle group as soon as the last one gave out. When you finally collapsed, your lungs burning, the sun was just beginning its descent, fading into the distance slowly, having crossed the top of the sky almost two hours ago.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that bit of bread you’d had yesterday with your strenuous hours of work. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone and get something nice out of the deal, like those two from yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 363**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 364**


	183. Chapter 183

When the morning light dawned you immediately set out toward the direction that you recalled their home being in. It was a ways away, and you thought that it might take you a while, but hopefully you could find them. If you could, you could ask them what they were going to do about the entrance exams; they had almost certainly heard about them, and if they had any kind of drive or devotion at all you were sure they would try their hand. Judging by the way they acted, they certainly had the spirit and the desire to escape the Rukongai.

It took longer than you would’ve liked, but eventually you were able to pick out landmarks that you knew were in the vicinity. Since you had only been here once before it still wasn’t easy to pick out the correct direction, but eventually you found them. More by their sound than the sight, though…

“For the last time, it’s this way Renji!”

“I’m telling you, it’s got to be over here!”

You almost smiled at the familiar sound of arguing. Turning toward them, you saw just two blocks over the familiar redhead and his black-haired friend. If you hadn’t heard them arguing you might’ve missed them entirely, since they were apparently on the move.

“Oi, I’ve been looking all over for you two!”

They both turned to you, with differing expressions. Renji’s anger that had been directed at Rukia turned to slightly lesser annoyance as he glared at you, while Rukia managed to turn her frustrations entirely away, a small smile even cracking out as she looked your way.

“Hey, long time no see,” Rukia said with a smile to her face. Renji’s words were, unfortunately, about what you expected.

“Help? More like nearly got us killed! Beat it, we don’t need you as bait today,” Renji griped as he turned back to Rukia. “The exams are gonna be that way, so we should go to the training grounds this way,” Renji said, pointing down two different roads very close to each other.

“Exams? Are you two trying to become Shinigami too?” You asked, a bit more surprise than was appropriate creeping into your voice. It wasn’t like you should’ve been shocked, after all.

“Yeah, and butt out of our conversation,” Renji retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at you.

“You want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked, putting a hand to her chin. “You should come with us. We’re going to train near where the exams are tomorrow and sleep overnight. I know you turned us down last night, but we could all use the help ,right?”

“Don’t give away where we’re sleeping! He might be coming after us for all you know!”

You eyed the sack on Renji’s back for a moment, careful not to let him see it. Of course he wasn’t _entirely_ wrong. You were fairly certain that inside that sack was all the bread that they’d stolen yesterday they hadn’t already wolfed down, and there were plenty of people willing to hurt or even kill to get their hands on that much food. Considering you already knew where they lived last night, though, he was starting to-

“You’re sounding a little paranoid there, Renji. It’s not like I didn’t invite him to spend the night last night, anyway,” Rukia said with a deadpan expression, before turning back to you. Apparently she’d been thinking the same thing. “Come on, join us! We need to get stronger if we’re going to stand out in the entrance exams, and we can make a lot more progress with three people.”

“Well…” You considered that for a moment. It would be nice, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to or not. There was the matter of how long it would take, plus Renji... well, he was being Renji, from what you knew of him.

**Go with them: Go to Chapter 365**

**Decline: Go to Chapter 366**


	184. Chapter 184

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself hard, driven on by imaginings of your life as a Shinigami. It was something you’d long fantasized about… but now you felt closer to it than ever. The image of yourself in a black robe, wielding a Zanpakuto, still brought a smile to your face, but the pain was taking it away quickly. You still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 367**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 368**


	185. Chapter 185

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 369**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 370**


	186. Chapter 186

“So… would you be willing to train together? I’m not really sure how to go about it, but I learn fast. It’s gotta be better to have two people working together, right?”

The boy looked more awkward than anything. He scratched a bit at the back of his head and then sighed in a resigned manner.

“Sure, I guess… can’t hurt, and I’ll need all the help I can get…”

He didn’t say why, but you didn’t object. You gave a curt nod and a smile. “Me too. I don’t really know what the exams are going to be like, and I wasn’t sure how to prepare… I’ll try my best, though.”

He looked at you with surprise, but quickly masked it. Even afterward, though, relief was evident. This guy was acting extremely odd, like no one you’d never met before. His reactions were totally out of whack with what you were expecting, even if you were sure that he had his reasons.

“Yeah, sounds great. By the way, my name’s Shuuhei Hisagi. Let’s both make it into the Academy together, alright?”

“Sure thing,” you said with a smile.

For once, you started to think that it might actually happen.

~~~~

Hisagi traveled with you across the Rukongai to a place that he said he’d been using to prepare himself for the exams. It was in an undeveloped area; not exactly a park, but wide open and covered with enough brush to make it difficult to spot you from the main roadways.

He didn’t waste any time in getting down to business, either. While he had seemed odd when you first met him and on the way there, as soon as the both of you started training he was going all out. Hisagi took it easily on you at first, showing you the proper way to do the warm-ups, but as soon as he finished instructing you, he started doing them himself and then blew you out of the water.

To make it worse, they really didn’t seem that much like warm-ups.

To you, it was more like a fully-fledged workout, that ended up taking almost an hour on its own. He started off with sit-ups that were simple, but had your core crying out for relief. If you hadn’t been used to your stomach hurting you’d probably never have made it as long as he did; you still could only go at about half the pace, if that. When he finally called to say you were done, you collapsed to the ground and held your abdomen for several seconds, until he strolled over and offered you a hand.

You climbed up on your own, but thanked him for the assistance; you didn’t want to seem that exhausted so early on in the day when you were quite sure the rest would be even worse. Sure enough, the next “warm-up” that he started on pushed you even harder. Push-ups for as long as you could continue, which it quickly became clear was not long. Your legs had gotten plenty of exercise in running away from the people you stole from, but your arms were sadly lacking in the same degree of tone. You were able to keep up with Hisagi… for a few seconds, anyway. He seemed like he’d been doing this for weeks, maybe for months. He kept up the pace until you were down to doing them almost one every several seconds, and finally gave you a rest.

Despite your lax physical fitness, he didn’t show any signs of disappointment or annoyance with you. Maybe it was because he kept going until he worked up a sweat of his own, which you didn’t blame him for. But in fact, the longer you two went on, the greater his subtle smile seemed to grow. He talked you through the proper way to do squats, basic muscle stretches, lunges, and a variety of other quick but intensive stretches that had you working up just enough of a sweat to make you nearly relieved when he finally stopped you.

That relief was short lived when he pointed to another spot in the wooded area just across from him, and motioned for you to step over there.

“Alright, now let’s spar.”

“What with?” You asked nonchalantly, still not too concerned. You weren’t the best, but if he was as patient with you as he was with the exercises, it couldn’t be too bad.

He rubbed the back of his head and a small frown touched his face. “Well, I haven’t got much money, and I haven’t found anyone with some swords to steal… so barehanded is about all I can do for now, sorry.”

“Th-that’s fine,” you said hastily. Inside you were a little less certain. Wooden swords were what you’d hoped for; they left bruises, but that was about it, unless you got really unlucky or were facing off against an actual Shinigami. Bare knuckles on the other hand?

You squared off, hoping to come out of this with some of your dignity intact… and also your bones.

~~~~

“Not… not bad, actually.”

You didn’t think so, as you lay back against a tree with your breath coming in ragged gasps. You felt like you’d been a severe let down; in fact, during the whole fight, he’d nearly doubled the number of blows landed, and each of them felt downright crushing in comparison to the taps you’d gotten in. Worst of all, you were almost certain he’d been holding back. But you weren’t going to complain about that, at least.

“I mean it. You should’ve seen me when- when I first started,” he said with a grunt. He looked off into the distance, off toward the setting sun. “It’s getting late, so it’s as good a time to call it a stop as anyway.”

You nodded at him, but couldn’t shake something. He’d been acting weird the whole time, and while he was helpful, you couldn’t help but be a little curious. But… should you bring it up to him?

**Ask about his behavior: Go to Chapter 371**

**Just let it go: Go to Chapter 372**


	187. Chapter 187

You nodded at him.

“Well, good luck. I’m going to try out too, maybe I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, you too,” he said with a small smile, awkwardness fading a bit.

You turned and walked away, heading back toward your home. It wasn’t too far away, and in no time at all you were lounging again. You’d had enough interesting run ins for the day, and were content to while away the rest of it relaxing and enjoying yourself.

You were so relaxed that it wasn’t long before the sun started to go down and you realized how tired you were quickly becoming. Your eyes started to slowly drift to sleep, and before long, the last night before the exams was washing away before your unconscious mind.

~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 373**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 374**


	188. Chapter 188

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies again, this chapter was supposed to be at the end of the previous chapter in this line, but I mis-cut it for some reason thinking this would be longer. Shouldn't happen again!

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 375**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 376**


	189. Chapter 189

“Sorry, I prefer to go it alone, good luck though,” you said with a small smile to sell it. You saw a look of disappointment on Rukia’s face, and a shrug from Renji.

“Whatever, at least you’re dedicated. Come on Rukia, let’s get started!”

She nodded and turned away from you, as they both walked together to another area of the forested section. You thought at first that it might be awkward to train just a short distance from the people you’d just turned down, but it turned out that they were far enough away that you barely heard them while they got their warm ups in.

That gave you plenty of space and time to focus on your own efforts. Truthfully, you weren’t really certain what you could do, but you had plenty of space to do… whatever it was. Deciding that the best thing you could start off with was basic physical exercise, you started to perform various activities you thought would help. Push-ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, for a while you even started to try doing lunges. From the snickering you could see Renji doing, he wasn’t very impressed, but when Rukia punished his lack of attention with several quick blows, it made you feel a lot better about it.

You needed to focus on your own work anyway. You did your best to tune out Renji and started doing laps around the forest. It was pretty wide, so you tried not to beat yourself up when you started getting tired after only a few, but you pushed on anyway. You had to make yourself stronger; it had to be better to show up to the exam exhausted but strong than rested but weak. You could worry about recovering after you had passed the exam.

~~~~

After several hours, switching back and forth between various exercises as one muscle group after the other got tired and trying to keep going for as long as you could. Eventually, though, you had to give out. Renji and Rukia had called it quits a while before that, but you didn’t blame them. They had been using wooden swords and were inflicting actual bruises and wounds on each other, while you were simply tiring yourself out. They’d gone off somewhere, you weren’t sure exactly where; one moment they had been resting on the grass, and the next they vanished.

You decided that you needed to find somewhere to stay yourself… but that wouldn’t exactly be easy. You were too far from home to get there before dark, which was a risk. The odds of finding an empty home were slim and none, so you had only one choice.

It took several minutes, but eventually you managed to wiggle your way up into the nearest tree with a low limb for climbing. You settled in for a long night of uncomfortable twigs in places they shouldn’t be. Thankfully, because of your exhaustion, you were out before you had time to mentally complain about it too much.

**Go to Chapter 377**


	190. Chapter 190

“Sure, sounds like fun!” You shouted back, glad to have found them. You were quite certain that training with other people would be a lot better than just doing it by yourself. When they pulled out wooden swords you became even more sure of that.

“Great! It’ll be nice to have someone new; Renji and I are kind of used to fighting each other. A little shake up is perfect before the Academy exams.”

“Yeah. I’ll do my best, but I’m not very-“

“Whatever, let’s just get started,” Renji growled, leaving the sack that he was carrying off to the side, but where it was in plain sight so that nobody could steal from it without being spotted. You guessed that it was filled with all the food they’d been stealing the day before.

“You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she threw you a spare. You caught it awkwardly in the air, while she grinned at you the whole time. “I want to see what the new kid can do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 378**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 379**


	191. Chapter 191

“Yes, Lord. She will be prepared, as will I.”

Your blood ran cold at the sound of someone talking. Perhaps it was because you were sleeping on a floor instead of dirt – a floor and a blanket at that, something you had rarely if ever had the luxury of – but you were rested enough that when you awoke you were surprisingly alert, and remembered where you were. The fact that someone who you didn’t recognize by voice was so close when you were in a place you were _very certainly_ not supposed to be was very nerve-wracking. The Lord title made it worse.

“Excellent. Thank you, Kisuke. I’ll be off, now; please do make sure that she prepares. I’m fully aware of how hard it can be to get you two to stick to your training.”

“Eheh… I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, sir,” Kisuke said with an awkward laugh.

“Quite. And… do something about the furniture. It looks a bit cluttered for one of your status.”

“Yes, Lord.”

With that, there were footsteps suddenly leading away, and no more voices. When you could no longer hear anyone moving away, you poked your head up and saw Kisuke standing near the doorway to his room.

“Who-“

Before you could even speak a second syllable, Kisuke pressed his hand to your mouth to silence you. You stared at him in silence for several seconds before he finally released you.

“Sorry, there was a patrol going by, and I couldn’t chance letting you know while they were so near.”

He smiled as if it was the most normal thing in the world to have said, but you were amazed. He hadn’t even hesitated, and you’d not heard or seen a single thing in the hallway. Had they really been moving through? How strong, or at least fast, were their guards? And more importantly, how strong were Kisuke and Yoruichi to have slipped by them so many times?

“Well, I suggest we go meet up with Lady Yoruichi. Once you’re with her, everyone should simply assume that you’re a new arrival, including the guards. Most of the staff know about her spontaneous ideas.”

You weren’t so sure how little they would question it, but you were in far too deep to question _him_. Together the two of you walked down the hallway to where you had separated from Yoruichi earlier in the day, only a few minutes down the way. You kept expecting Kisuke to throw you into a hidden room or press you against the wall and warn you that another patrol was coming, but you never had to. 

You noted the attire of those around you as you walked. Kisuke’s outfit was the same white robe he’d been wearing the previous day, and that you had seen on virtually every servant so far. It must have been a typical outfit for Shihoin family servants. You would have to ask Kisuke what the guards wore later to be sure; it seemed unlikely they wore white, and you wanted to recognize them on sight to avoid them if at all possible, especially if you were alone.

You passed several servants who glanced at you, then never bothered to look back. It was as Kisuke said, apparently; once you were within the place, as long as you didn’t act out of the ordinary, they simply assumed you belonged there. With guards that could scarcely be seen and not even close to heard, it was no small wonder that they were so confident in their security. You actually began to feel quite safe following after the blonde-haired man.

Until you spotted the black-cloaked figure at the other end of the hallway.

You froze in place for a split second before you recognized the deep violet hair of the person standing there. Yoruichi saw your reaction instantly and gave a soft chuckle. Even after you realized who it was, you continued staring for a moment.

She was no longer wearing the rags and cloak she’d used to disguise herself the previous day, and the difference was downright striking. She now wore a black, sleeveless undershirt that stretched into a white cloth sash tied around her waist, then fell into a pair of long, somewhat baggier black pants. A black ribbon tied in a neat fashion decorated her neck, and each arm was covered from just below the shoulder all the way down to the first knuckles of her fingers in soft, black, cloth gloves. 

Yoruichi noticed your staring – you could tell by the way she smirked at you after she greeted Kisuke. Kisuke tossed his own head back at you when he saw the smirk, so you looked at him to break your concentration.

“Good morning to you too. Like the outfit? It’s standard Onmitsukido, with a few alterations. Still, maybe it needs some more. It’s supposed to help keep me concealed, not draw attention,” Yoruichi said with a wink.

You started to say something in your defense, but she held up a hand and silenced you.

“Let’s proceed to the training grounds. It’s far too crowded around here,” she said with a look that told you further discussion would have to wait. You nodded, and together all of you proceeded quickly out toward… well, you assumed the training ground, but they could’ve been heading for a torture chamber for all you knew of the place’s geography.

When you emerged into sunlight, it became clear that they hadn’t lied, though you hadn’t been expecting them to anyway. It was a private courtyard, only about fifty feet wide by fifty feet long, apparently reserved specially for actual Shihoin family members and their servants. All around you, across the walls, you could hear the sounds of others training, grunts and the occasional cry of pain reaching your ears.

Yoruichi’s mannerisms changed almost the second that the door closed behind the three of you. Instead of her very serious and well-mannered stride, she turned around, spread her arms wide, and gave both of you a wry smile.

“Well, this is it. What do you think?”

You looked around at the paved ground, the high walls that would let no one save perhaps guards, were there any, to see in. The fine decorations were what separated it from the basics; every part of the walls was ornately carved, while the stone floor was smooth, save for where it had been damaged, and that was only occasional. It was a sign of a place both dedicated to functionality and yet not neglecting appearance. It was the embodiment of the Seireitei nobles.

“It’s amazing. I always thought the mansions of the Seireitei would look this incredible,” you said as you stared around.

“They’re great to look at, but more fun to play in. Come on, let’s get started!”

You looked at her as Kisuke stepped forward into the training arena with her. She motioned for you to follow, while Kisuke looked back in surprise at her gesture.

“Come on! You need to prepare for the exam too, you know!”

“Lady Yoruichi, with all due respect, you know that your father wants you to train hard today,” Kisuke said, almost embarrassed. “I’m not sure that training someone with little experience is the best way to improve yourself.”

“We can always learn something, Kisuke,” Yoruichi said, sticking her tongue out at the boy playfully.

Clearly, they had a disagreement. Whichever you wanted to do they’d probably let you, so…

**Train with Yoruichi: Go to Chapter 380**

**Sit back and watch: Go to Chapter 381**


	192. Chapter 192

“Yes, Lord. She will be prepared, as will I.”

Your blood ran cold at the sound of someone talking. Perhaps it was because you were sleeping on a floor instead of dirt – a floor and a blanket at that, something you had rarely if ever had the luxury of – but you were rested enough that when you awoke you were surprisingly alert, and remembered where you were. The fact that someone who you didn’t recognize by voice was so close when you were in a place you were _very certainly_ not supposed to be was very nerve-wracking. The Lord title made it worse.

“Excellent. Thank you, Kisuke. I’ll be off, now; please do make sure that she prepares. I’m fully aware of how hard it can be to get you two to stick to your training.”

“Eheh… I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, sir,” Kisuke said with an awkward laugh.

“Quite. And… do something about the furniture. It looks a bit cluttered for one of your status.”

“Yes, Lord.”

With that, there were footsteps suddenly leading away, and no more voices. When you could no longer hear anyone moving away, you poked your head up and saw Kisuke standing near the doorway to his room.

“Who-“

Before you could even speak a second syllable, Kisuke pressed his hand to your mouth to silence you. You stared at him in silence for several seconds before he finally released you.

“Sorry, there was a patrol going by, and I couldn’t chance letting you know while they were so near.”

He smiled as if it was the most normal thing in the world to have said, but you were amazed. He hadn’t even hesitated, and you’d not heard or seen a single thing in the hallway. Had they really been moving through? How strong, or at least fast, were their guards? And more importantly, how strong were Kisuke and Yoruichi to have slipped by them so many times?

“Well, I suggest we go meet up with Lady Yoruichi. Once you’re with her, everyone should simply assume that you’re a new arrival, including the guards. Most of the staff know about her spontaneous ideas.”

You weren’t so sure how little they would question it, but you were in far too deep to question _him_. Together the two of you walked down the hallway to where you had separated from Yoruichi earlier in the day, only a few minutes down the way. You kept expecting Kisuke to throw you into a hidden room or press you against the wall and warn you that another patrol was coming, but you never had to. 

You noted the attire of those around you as you walked. Kisuke’s outfit was the same white robe he’d been wearing the previous day, and that you had seen on virtually every servant so far. It must have been a typical outfit for Shihoin family servants. You would have to ask Kisuke what the guards wore later to be sure; it seemed unlikely they wore white, and you wanted to recognize them on sight to avoid them if at all possible, especially if you were alone.

You passed several servants who glanced at you, then never bothered to look back. It was as Kisuke said, apparently; once you were within the place, as long as you didn’t act out of the ordinary, they simply assumed you belonged there. With guards that could scarcely be seen and not even close to heard, it was no small wonder that they were so confident in their security. You actually began to feel quite safe following after the blonde-haired man.

Until you spotted the black-cloaked figure at the other end of the hallway.

You froze in place for a split second before you recognized the deep violet hair of the person standing there. Yoruichi saw your reaction instantly and gave a soft chuckle. Even after you realized who it was, you continued staring for a moment.

She was no longer wearing the rags and cloak she’d used to disguise herself the previous day, and the difference was downright striking. She now wore a black, sleeveless undershirt that stretched into a white cloth sash tied around her waist, then fell into a pair of long, somewhat baggier black pants. A black ribbon tied in a neat fashion decorated her neck, and each arm was covered from just below the shoulder all the way down to the first knuckles of her fingers in soft, black, cloth gloves. 

Yoruichi noticed your staring – she gave you a sly smirk, but said nothing about it as she turned to Kisuke and gave an offhand remark.

“Let’s proceed to the training grounds. It’s far too crowded around here,” she said with a look that told you further discussion would have to wait. You nodded, and together all of you proceeded quickly out toward… well, you assumed the training ground, but they could’ve been heading for a torture chamber for all you knew of the place’s geography.

When you emerged into sunlight, it became clear that they hadn’t lied, though you hadn’t been expecting them to anyway. It was a private courtyard, only about fifty feet wide by fifty feet long, apparently reserved specially for actual Shihoin family members and their servants. All around you, across the walls, you could hear the sounds of others training, grunts and the occasional cry of pain reaching your ears.

Yoruichi’s mannerisms changed almost the second that the door closed behind the three of you. Instead of her very serious and well-mannered stride, she turned around, spread her arms wide, and gave both of you a wry smile.

“Well, this is it. What do you think?”

You looked around at the paved ground, the high walls that would let no one save perhaps guards, were there any, to see in. The fine decorations were what separated it from the basics; every part of the walls was ornately carved, while the stone floor was smooth, save for where it had been damaged, and that was only occasional. It was a sign of a place both dedicated to functionality and yet not neglecting appearance. It was the embodiment of the Seireitei nobles.

“It’s amazing. I always thought the mansions of the Seireitei would look this incredible,” you said as you stared around.

“They’re great to look at, but more fun to play in. Come on, let’s get started!”

You looked at her as Kisuke stepped forward into the training arena with her. She motioned for you to follow, while Kisuke looked back in surprise at her gesture.

“Come on! You need to prepare for the exam too, you know!”

“Lady Yoruichi, with all due respect, you know that your father wants you to train hard today,” Kisuke said, almost embarrassed. “I’m not sure that training someone with little experience is the best way to improve yourself.”

“We can always learn something, Kisuke,” Yoruichi said, sticking her tongue out at the boy playfully.

Clearly, they had a disagreement. Whichever you wanted to do they’d probably let you, so…

**Train with Yoruichi: Go to Chapter 734**

**Sit back and watch: Go to Chapter 735**

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! The jump in Chapter # should NOT be this high; unfortunately, I made a big error and this was the easiest way to fix it. When 734 and 735 are eventually put out, they will then lead to chapters 738, 739, 740, and 741. Which means even though the update for this path is late, it will then get a SECOND UPDATE almost IMMEDIATELY. I'm so sorry for any confusion this has caused anyone, and I hope this won't happen again any time in the future._ **


	193. Chapter 193

When you awoke the next morning you walked back to your original destination with a vengeance. With your resolve firm and a purpose in mind you weren’t sure if even a Hollow could stop you from accomplishing your goal. You walked in the door to find the kid relaxing against a wall, tapping his fingers on the wood, much as you left him the day before. As soon as you entered, though, he sat up, moderately aware but clearly not that interested.

“What do ya want? I told ya I’d be usin’ this place for another day, didn’t I?” The boy’s look was a mixture of confusion and annoyance, as if he’d both forgotten whether he actually had or not and simultaneously stopped giving a damn either way.

“You’re going to become a Shinigami, right?” You asked, somewhat emboldened, perhaps because he hadn’t seemed that cruel the day before, and perhaps because he was in such a relaxed position. “That’s why you’re not going to be here for very long?”

“What’s it to ya?”

You mentally sighed, seeing this wasn’t going anywhere fast, but were determined to continue on.

“We should train together.”

He snorted and leaned his head back against the wall, eyes already closed.

You stared at him for a moment, before realizing this probably wasn’t going to work. Whether he was overly confident in his own abilities or overly certain that yours were far below his, he seemed completely uninterested in the idea.

You sighed and leaned your head back against the wall, feeling frustrated. Clearly he wasn’t planning to budge, but… was it worth it to stick around and try to convince him? Or should you just go train on your own?

**Stick around, talk to him for a while: Go to Chapter 382**

**Just go train on your own: Go to Chapter 383**


	194. Chapter 194

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 384**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 385**


	195. Chapter 195

“Look, I really appreciate you… saving me…” you forced out, a little awkwardly, “…but I have to prepare for the Shinigami Academy entrance exams. If you want, you can-“

“YAAAAY Training!”

You hadn’t exactly gotten to the invitation part, but at least she was eager. With a shrug, you set out toward a part of the Rukongai that had a few more trees, a few less buildings, and a little bit more room for you to train.

The girl, Mashiro, followed excitedly along at your heels, babbling the whole way about just how much fun you two were going to have, and how she was going to be the greatest Shinigami that Soul Society had ever seen, and you could be her faithful sidekick. The names were constantly changing, as were your opinions of the girl. But, no matter what she may have seemed like at any given moment, at least you were quite certain you wouldn’t be bored as long as she was around.

~~~~~~

The park was small; maybe a city block, at most, but since you two appeared to be the only ones taking advantage of it on that day, it was more than enough for your uses. You turned to Mashiro and gave her a somewhat uncertain look.

“I don’t really know much about being a Shinigami, or how to train to become one, but I guess we may as well-“

“TAG!”

Mashiro bopped you on the nose with her fist, light enough that it didn’t really hurt but hard enough to make you feel it. Then she danced away on the tips of her toes, weaving between trees. When you didn’t immediately pursue her she gazed back after you and gave you a raspberry.

“Don’t give up already you big loser! It’s no fun if you don’t even try, even if you can’t beat someone as awesome as me!”

You gave a sigh. She clearly wasn’t that interested in real training but… well, you’d brought her along, why not indulge her for a while?

~~~~

Over the next several hours, until the sun had passed midday and begun to fall towards the evening position, you began to chase Mashiro around the park. Sometimes she would leap up high in trees and then immediately clambor down when you started to get near her, other times she simply ducked and weaved so fast you could barely keep her in sight. Only occasionally did you surprise her and get her, but she would always reclaim it quickly. She didn’t seem like much, didn’t even really seem like she was strong, but she was definitely fast, and just off her rocker enough to be pretty unpredictable.

Surprisingly enough, you actually did feel like you were improving a little, though. Maybe it wasn’t much, and you were sure it wouldn’t translate that well to a real world application, but you got pretty good at leaping between tree branches chasing the nimble girl, and you even got pretty adept at predicting how she would try to dodge your tags. It wasn’t… _training_ , per say, but even though you were absolutely coated in sweat by the end of it and you were utterly exhausted, you still felt like you’d had a lot of fun.

Mashiro seemed to be a little worn out, but nowhere near the level that you were, and she seemed a lot less entertained than you too.

“Well, you’re pretty good for a beginner, but nobody can keep up with Speed Queen Mashiro!” She shouted, adding yet another name to her list of aliases.

“You’re… pretty fast… how’d you get to be so quick?”

“Lots of tag!” She said with a smile. “Everyone tries, but almost nobody can tag Mashiro the Demon of the Rukongai, even when they use brooms, pans, knives…”

“Tag… huh?” Suddenly you got the feeling that her version of tag usually wasn’t consensual.

“But I’m bored now, even if you’re not the worse I’ve ever played with,” she said, faking a yawn. “Let’s go do something else. Let’s find a sword shop and rob it!”

You were quite certain there were no sword shops in the Rukongai, at least, none within a dozen districts of here. Getting ahold of them wasn’t easy; even in the seedier districts of the Rukongai the most common way was to rob or kill another man for one. She was probably going to go off on some fake adventure and then get distracted, but judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

You had more time to prepare, but this girl was certainly… interesting. You could always accompany her, see where the wind took you.

**Continue training on your own: Go to Chapter 386**

**Follow Mashiro: Go to Chapter 387**


	196. Chapter 196

“Hey… there’s a candy store getting robbed over there! They look like they’re in trouble!” You shouted, pointing down a side alley. It was a long shot at best, and you were quite certain that most people would never-

“OH NO! I’m coming mister! And I only want half of it as my rewaaaard!”

Mashiro scampered off down the street, leaving you to stare after her in wonder for a moment, before watching her look around in confusion and dash around a corner.

_Did she mean half the money, or… half the candy in the store?”_

Uncertain, and not sure you wanted to know the answer, you turned back to the task at hand – finding a place to train. The area around you seemed well enough empty to work with, and it would take too long to go somewhere else, so you decided that for now, at least, you would simply settle for the streets.

Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, with or without proper space. Still, as long as you worked on getting physically stronger, it shouldn’t matter too much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 388**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 389**


	197. Chapter 197

When you awoke the next morning you walked back to your original destination with a vengeance. With your resolve firm and a purpose in mind you weren’t sure if even a Hollow could stop you from accomplishing your goal. You walked in the door to find the kid relaxing against a wall, tapping his fingers on the wood, much as you left him the day before. As soon as you entered, though, he sat up, moderately aware but clearly not that interested.

“What do ya want? I told ya I’d be usin’ this place for another day, didn’t I?” The boy’s look was a mixture of confusion and annoyance, as if he’d both forgotten whether he actually had or not and simultaneously stopped giving a damn either way.

“You’re going to become a Shinigami, right?” You asked, somewhat emboldened, perhaps because he hadn’t seemed that cruel the day before, and perhaps because he was in such a relaxed position. “That’s why you’re not going to be here for very long?”

“What’s it to ya?”

You mentally sighed, seeing this wasn’t going anywhere fast, but were determined to continue on.

“We should train together.”

He snorted and leaned his head back against the wall, eyes already closed.

You stared at him for a moment, before realizing this probably wasn’t going to work. Whether he was overly confident in his own abilities or overly certain that yours were far below his, he seemed completely uninterested in the idea.

You sighed and leaned your head back against the wall, feeling frustrated. Clearly he wasn’t planning to budge, but… was it worth it to stick around and try to convince him? Or should you just go train on your own?

**Stick around, talk to him for a while: Go to Chapter 390**

**Just go train on your own: Go to Chapter 391**


	198. Chapter 198

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 392**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 393**


	199. Chapter 199

“Look, I really appreciate you… saving me…” you forced out, a little awkwardly, “…but I have to prepare for the Shinigami Academy entrance exams. If you want, you can-“

“YAAAAY Training!”

You hadn’t exactly gotten to the invitation part, but at least she was eager. With a shrug, you set out toward a part of the Rukongai that had a few more trees, a few less buildings, and a little bit more room for you to train.

The girl, Mashiro, followed excitedly along at your heels, babbling the whole way about just how much fun you two were going to have, and how she was going to be the greatest Shinigami that Soul Society had ever seen, and you could be her faithful sidekick. The names were constantly changing, as were your opinions of the girl. But, no matter what she may have seemed like at any given moment, at least you were quite certain you wouldn’t be bored as long as she was around.

~~~~~~

The park was small; maybe a city block, at most, but since you two appeared to be the only ones taking advantage of it on that day, it was more than enough for your uses. You turned to Mashiro and gave her a somewhat uncertain look.

“I don’t really know much about being a Shinigami, or how to train to become one, but I guess we may as well-“

“TAG!”

Mashiro bopped you on the nose with her fist, light enough that it didn’t really hurt but hard enough to make you feel it. Then she danced away on the tips of her toes, weaving between trees. When you didn’t immediately pursue her she gazed back after you and gave you a raspberry.

“Don’t give up already you big loser! It’s no fun if you don’t even try, even if you can’t beat someone as awesome as me!”

You gave a sigh. She clearly wasn’t that interested in real training but… well, you’d brought her along, why not indulge her for a while?

~~~~

Over the next several hours, until the sun had passed midday and begun to fall towards the evening position, you began to chase Mashiro around the park. Sometimes she would leap up high in trees and then immediately clambor down when you started to get near her, other times she simply ducked and weaved so fast you could barely keep her in sight. Only occasionally did you surprise her and get her, but she would always reclaim it quickly. She didn’t seem like much, didn’t even really seem like she was strong, but she was definitely fast, and just off her rocker enough to be pretty unpredictable.

Surprisingly enough, you actually did feel like you were improving a little, though. Maybe it wasn’t much, and you were sure it wouldn’t translate that well to a real world application, but you got pretty good at leaping between tree branches chasing the nimble girl, and you even got pretty adept at predicting how she would try to dodge your tags. It wasn’t… _training_ , per say, but even though you were absolutely coated in sweat by the end of it and you were utterly exhausted, you still felt like you’d had a lot of fun.

Mashiro seemed to be a little worn out, but nowhere near the level that you were, and she seemed a lot less entertained than you too.

“Well, you’re pretty good for a beginner, but nobody can keep up with Speed Queen Mashiro!” She shouted, adding yet another name to her list of aliases.

“You’re… pretty fast… how’d you get to be so quick?”

“Lots of tag!” She said with a smile. “Everyone tries, but almost nobody can tag Mashiro the Demon of the Rukongai, even when they use brooms, pans, knives…”

“Tag… huh?” Suddenly you got the feeling that her version of tag usually wasn’t consensual.

“But I’m bored now, even if you’re not the worse I’ve ever played with,” she said, faking a yawn. “Let’s go do something else. Let’s find a sword shop and rob it!”

You were quite certain there were no sword shops in the Rukongai, at least, none within a dozen districts of here. Getting ahold of them wasn’t easy; even in the seedier districts of the Rukongai the most common way was to rob or kill another man for one. She was probably going to go off on some fake adventure and then get distracted, but judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

You had more time to prepare, but this girl was certainly… interesting. You could always accompany her, see where the wind took you.

**Continue training on your own: Go to Chapter 394**

**Follow Mashiro: Go to Chapter 395**


	200. Chapter 200

“Hey… there’s a candy store getting robbed over there! They look like they’re in trouble!” You shouted, pointing down a side alley. It was a long shot at best, and you were quite certain that most people would never-

“OH NO! I’m coming mister! And I only want half of it as my rewaaaard!”

Mashiro scampered off down the street, leaving you to stare after her in wonder for a moment, before watching her look around in confusion and dash around a corner.

_Did she mean half the money, or… half the candy in the store?”_

Uncertain, and not sure you wanted to know the answer, you turned back to the task at hand – finding a place to train. The area around you seemed well enough empty to work with, and it would take too long to go somewhere else, so you decided that for now, at least, you would simply settle for the streets.

Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, with or without proper space. Still, as long as you worked on getting physically stronger, it shouldn’t matter too much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 396**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 397**


	201. Chapter 201

When you awoke the next morning you walked back to your original destination with a vengeance. With your resolve firm and a purpose in mind you weren’t sure if even a Hollow could stop you from accomplishing your goal. You walked in the door to find the kid relaxing against a wall, tapping his fingers on the wood, much as you left him the day before. As soon as you entered, though, he sat up, moderately aware but clearly not that interested.

“What do ya want? I told ya I’d be usin’ this place for another day, didn’t I?” The boy’s look was a mixture of confusion and annoyance, as if he’d both forgotten whether he actually had or not and simultaneously stopped giving a damn either way.

“You’re going to become a Shinigami, right?” You asked, somewhat emboldened, perhaps because he hadn’t seemed that cruel the day before, and perhaps because he was in such a relaxed position. “That’s why you’re not going to be here for very long?”

“What’s it to ya?”

You mentally sighed, seeing this wasn’t going anywhere fast, but were determined to continue on.

“We should train together.”

He snorted and leaned his head back against the wall, eyes already closed.

You stared at him for a moment, before realizing this probably wasn’t going to work. Whether he was overly confident in his own abilities or overly certain that yours were far below his, he seemed completely uninterested in the idea.

You sighed and leaned your head back against the wall, feeling frustrated. Clearly he wasn’t planning to budge, but… was it worth it to stick around and try to convince him? Or should you just go train on your own?

**Stick around, talk to him for a while: Go to Chapter 398**

**Just go train on your own: Go to Chapter 399**


	202. Chapter 202

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 400**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 401**


	203. Chapter 203

“Look, I really appreciate you… saving me…” you forced out, a little awkwardly, “…but I have to prepare for the Shinigami Academy entrance exams. If you want, you can-“

“YAAAAY Training!”

You hadn’t exactly gotten to the invitation part, but at least she was eager. With a shrug, you set out toward a part of the Rukongai that had a few more trees, a few less buildings, and a little bit more room for you to train.

The girl, Mashiro, followed excitedly along at your heels, babbling the whole way about just how much fun you two were going to have, and how she was going to be the greatest Shinigami that Soul Society had ever seen, and you could be her faithful sidekick. The names were constantly changing, as were your opinions of the girl. But, no matter what she may have seemed like at any given moment, at least you were quite certain you wouldn’t be bored as long as she was around.

~~~~~~

The park was small; maybe a city block, at most, but since you two appeared to be the only ones taking advantage of it on that day, it was more than enough for your uses. You turned to Mashiro and gave her a somewhat uncertain look.

“I don’t really know much about being a Shinigami, or how to train to become one, but I guess we may as well-“

“TAG!”

Mashiro bopped you on the nose with her fist, light enough that it didn’t really hurt but hard enough to make you feel it. Then she danced away on the tips of her toes, weaving between trees. When you didn’t immediately pursue her she gazed back after you and gave you a raspberry.

“Don’t give up already you big loser! It’s no fun if you don’t even try, even if you can’t beat someone as awesome as me!”

You gave a sigh. She clearly wasn’t that interested in real training but… well, you’d brought her along, why not indulge her for a while?

~~~~

Over the next several hours, until the sun had passed midday and begun to fall towards the evening position, you began to chase Mashiro around the park. Sometimes she would leap up high in trees and then immediately clambor down when you started to get near her, other times she simply ducked and weaved so fast you could barely keep her in sight. Only occasionally did you surprise her and get her, but she would always reclaim it quickly. She didn’t seem like much, didn’t even really seem like she was strong, but she was definitely fast, and just off her rocker enough to be pretty unpredictable.

Surprisingly enough, you actually did feel like you were improving a little, though. Maybe it wasn’t much, and you were sure it wouldn’t translate that well to a real world application, but you got pretty good at leaping between tree branches chasing the nimble girl, and you even got pretty adept at predicting how she would try to dodge your tags. It wasn’t… _training_ , per say, but even though you were absolutely coated in sweat by the end of it and you were utterly exhausted, you still felt like you’d had a lot of fun.

Mashiro seemed to be a little worn out, but nowhere near the level that you were, and she seemed a lot less entertained than you too.

“Well, you’re pretty good for a beginner, but nobody can keep up with Speed Queen Mashiro!” She shouted, adding yet another name to her list of aliases.

“You’re… pretty fast… how’d you get to be so quick?”

“Lots of tag!” She said with a smile. “Everyone tries, but almost nobody can tag Mashiro the Demon of the Rukongai, even when they use brooms, pans, knives…”

“Tag… huh?” Suddenly you got the feeling that her version of tag usually wasn’t consensual.

“But I’m bored now, even if you’re not the worse I’ve ever played with,” she said, faking a yawn. “Let’s go do something else. Let’s find a sword shop and rob it!”

You were quite certain there were no sword shops in the Rukongai, at least, none within a dozen districts of here. Getting ahold of them wasn’t easy; even in the seedier districts of the Rukongai the most common way was to rob or kill another man for one. She was probably going to go off on some fake adventure and then get distracted, but judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

You had more time to prepare, but this girl was certainly… interesting. You could always accompany her, see where the wind took you.

**Continue training on your own: Go to Chapter 402**

**Follow Mashiro: Go to Chapter 403**


	204. Chapter 204

“Hey… there’s a candy store getting robbed over there! They look like they’re in trouble!” You shouted, pointing down a side alley. It was a long shot at best, and you were quite certain that most people would never-

“OH NO! I’m coming mister! And I only want half of it as my rewaaaard!”

Mashiro scampered off down the street, leaving you to stare after her in wonder for a moment, before watching her look around in confusion and dash around a corner.

_Did she mean half the money, or… half the candy in the store?”_

Uncertain, and not sure you wanted to know the answer, you turned back to the task at hand – finding a place to train. The area around you seemed well enough empty to work with, and it would take too long to go somewhere else, so you decided that for now, at least, you would simply settle for the streets.

Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, with or without proper space. Still, as long as you worked on getting physically stronger, it shouldn’t matter too much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 404**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 405**


	205. Chapter 205

“Uh... really?” You asked hesitantly.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t lie,” he said with a small smile.

“Please, and thank you!” You said, giving a small bow to the Shinigami. “But what did you have in mind?”

“Well…” he put his hand to his chin and looked thoughtful for a moment. “…we don’t have much time before I have to return, so there’s no point in trying to train you physically. Maybe if I showed you a little something about how to control your Reiatsu, you could learn enough to impress the judges?”

You looked at yourself briefly, uncertain as to whether that was even something you were capable of.

Shunsui must have seen the look on your face. He laughed a little and gave that very disarming smirk. “Don’t worry, I promise you, the judges who evaluate you will judge you as a civilian, not as a Shinigami. Plus, anyone who can get into the Academy should be capable of what I’m about to show you.”

You were brimming with excitement, and nodded vigorously.

“Alright, let’s walk as we do this. There’s a bit of explanation you need to hear. Now, do you know what the difference is between Reiatsu and Reishi?”

~~~~  
The Shinigami’s instructions were beyond helpful. In fact, it almost felt like you were in a class; and with how much fun you had learning from him, if the Academy was anything like that, you knew it was the place for you. He taught as you walked, for the most part, only stopping long enough for you to demonstrate that you understood a particular concept. You studied along and had so much fun learning about the mysterious creatures known as Shinigami that you almost forgot it was educational.

“Alright, now give it one more try,” he said, demonstrating the stance that he’d shown you before.

“Okay…” you said quietly, a little uncertain of yourself. You assumed the proper stance and then focused within yourself. You didn’t really know much about what it was, exactly, that you were trying to accomplish… but you hoped trying was enough.

“Better, much better!” He said, sounding quite pleased after you’d focused for several seconds, although you were totally unable to sense any real change in your own energies.

“Really?”

“Yes, I could feel it that time. It’s not much, but for a child, it’s very impressive, and the fact that you can exert your energy like that will certainly be a point in your favor.”

“Thank you so much. I guess you’ll be going now?” You said, looking at him.

Something crossed his eyes. A dangerous look, perhaps one of hesitance?

“No… I think I’ll return you home. Can you find where you belong, if I return you to where we met?”

“Uh, yes, I think so,” you said, taking a look around. You were intending to return home alone, but now that your attention was drawn to it, it seemed like you were in a disturbingly bad part of town… in fact, you were almost certain that you were several districts down from where you had started, in the worse part of Rukongai. And that was saying something.

“Good, perhaps then we can- HGGGH!”

The white-haired Shinigami suddenly collapsed forward onto his knees, hacking and coughing. For a brief moment your mind flashed back to his lessons, about how another person’s Reiatsu could force a person to their knees or even kill them, if they were strong enough – but you felt nothing, and he said nothing about the blood that covered his hand as he pulled it away.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t think I can… make it to where we met… you should go, quickly,” he said, before another fit of coughing overwhelmed him. The sound was loud; loud enough you felt almost certain that the entire district must have heard him.

You wanted to stay with him… but coughing that loudly was sure to draw attention. You weren’t even sure if you could find your way back, yet if you stayed around, you might never make it back anyway. You had only a few seconds, perhaps a minute, before your choice was irrelevant. What would you decide, in that panicked moment?

**Stay with him, try to get him out of there: Go to Chapter 406**

**Run away, try to find your home: Go to Chapter 407**


	206. Chapter 206

“S-sorry, sir, I just wanted to know a little bit more about the exams.”

“Ah, I understand,” he said gently. “Well, I wish you luck!”

“Thanks!” You shouted back, before watching him turn and walk away. He seemed to be quite busy, or at least had plenty to occupy his time when he wanted to.

You eventually turned back and headed home. It didn’t take too long; you weren’t very far out of the way and you knew the route back. Armed with at least a little more knowledge, you were confronted with what to do for the rest of your day…

There was enough time to do some minor training, but that was really about it as far as actually doing anything. You’d already made one trip out into the Rukongai and weren’t about to make another, and there weren’t exactly dozens of other things for you to occupy your time with.

On the other hand, you could always just enjoy your last day in the Rukongai. It couldn’t hurt, and you might never see this place again, assuming tomorrow went well.

**Train for tomorrow: Go to Chapter 408**

**Relax and enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 409**


	207. Chapter 207

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. You wished you could’ve been at the level of a noble, as strong and fast as the two you met before… to blow the competition away… but you had years to get that strong. Given enough time you felt almost certain you could reach their level. For now, though, you’d settle for being able to enter the Academy at all.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 410**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 411**


	208. Chapter 208

You made your way out into the Rukongai, hoping that you could find some valuable information on the Academy, or maybe just something to occupy your time. The last time you’d gone out and about, you’d run into some very interesting people, the kind you’d never expected to run into in the Rukongai, so who knew what you might find this time?

But as you continued to trek along the roads, catching snippets of conversation here and there as you went, everything seemed fairly normal. There were no more visitors from the Seireitei, no Shinigami wandering the districts, and certainly no more Hollows. It was a quiet, peaceful day, and you never had reason to stop for more than a few moments.

Unfortunately the pace that you were going at, while hardly significant, was enough to put a serious strain on your body. After over an hour of walking you finally had to come to a stop, collapsing onto the nearest wall and gasping for air.

You weren’t sure how long you had to sit there, letting your tired body rest, but it wasn’t too long. Still, with as late in the day as it had already been when you set out, the sun was fading from the sky and the streets were mostly empty now. You set out for home, thankful that you hadn’t passed through a few of the shadier districts of the Rukongai to get here. They were not places you wanted to roam through alone at night.

You could barely keep your eyes open, so when you finally spotted your house, it was the most welcome relief you’d ever had. You practically collapsed into your corner, barely noticing anything but the inside of your own eyelids as your mind faded off.

~~~~

“Hey, what the hell are you doin’ in my house?!”

You awoke to that shout, and before you could even ask who was yelling at you, your body was thrown backwards and your abdomen exploded in pain. That was followed a moment later by the sound of wood smacking against bone, as your spine collided with what must have been the wall.

“What?! Who are you, what are you doing here?” You shouted out as you opened your eyes and looked up to see a white-haired boy, a few years older than you by his looks, growling and gesturing with his fist.

“That’s what I just asked, don’t get smart with me!” He looked ready to throw another blow at any moment, so you quickly had to say something.

“Wait! I just… where are we?”

He looked as if he didn’t understand why you were asking something like that. “East side of the fifty-forth district of Rukongai, where else?”

You groaned. Two whole districts away from where your home was. No wonder you’d had such a rude awakening.

He apparently didn’t like your pause. He took a step forward and grabbed you by the shoulder, just beside the neck. “Spit it out! Now why do I wake up to find you freeloading in my house?”

“Look, I just got lost. It was late last night, and I spent all day training. I thought this was my house, but I must have been too tired to tell where I was.”

“Training? Bah, likely story,” he grumbled, but he did release your shoulder. “Nobody was training yesterday; we didn’t even know if they’d cancel the examinations until it was almost midnight.”

“Cancel the exams?” The shock on your face said it all – that was a huge step. They hadn’t cancelled the Shinigami Academy entrance exams in over two hundred years.

“Yeah, after some big Hollow attack. Heard it was pretty bad. Now I need to get ready for them, so _get out of my house!_ ” He shouted, shaking his fist angrily at you and getting a little too close, clearly done giving you information. You just held up your hands in resignation and traipsed out, all too happy to get away from the screaming lunatic. He had some serious anger issues, that one. As soon as he saw you were on your way out, the white-haired kid turned away and went back toward the corner opposite where you had been.

Outside, you were trying to decide what to do. The Academy exams… they were today! You needed to get over there pretty quickly; sure, the rude awakening you got from the other kid was enough to give you a head start, but it was still a decent walk to the exams. On the other hand, if you stuck around here, you could always train for a little while before showing up. After all, there was a park not too far from here, and you knew that showing up strong could possibly be a more advantageous way to start off than just being on time… but what would you choose?

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 412**

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 413**


	209. Chapter 209

“Uh... really?” You asked hesitantly.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t lie,” he said with a small smile.

“Please, and thank you!” You said, giving a small bow to the Shinigami. “But what did you have in mind?”

“Well…” he put his hand to his chin and looked thoughtful for a moment. “…we don’t have much time before I have to return, so there’s no point in trying to train you physically. Maybe if I showed you a little something about how to control your Reiatsu, you could learn enough to impress the judges?”

You looked at yourself briefly, uncertain as to whether that was even something you were capable of.

Shunsui must have seen the look on your face. He laughed a little and gave that very disarming smirk. “Don’t worry, I promise you, the judges who evaluate you will judge you as a civilian, not as a Shinigami. Plus, anyone who can get into the Academy should be capable of what I’m about to show you.”

You were brimming with excitement, and nodded vigorously.

“Alright, let’s walk as we do this. There’s a bit of explanation you need to hear. Now, do you know what the difference is between Reiatsu and Reishi?”

~~~~  
The Shinigami’s instructions were beyond helpful. In fact, it almost felt like you were in a class; and with how much fun you had learning from him, if the Academy was anything like that, you knew it was the place for you. He taught as you walked, for the most part, only stopping long enough for you to demonstrate that you understood a particular concept. You studied along and had so much fun learning about the mysterious creatures known as Shinigami that you almost forgot it was educational.

“Alright, now give it one more try,” he said, demonstrating the stance that he’d shown you before.

“Okay…” you said quietly, a little uncertain of yourself. You assumed the proper stance and then focused within yourself. You didn’t really know much about what it was, exactly, that you were trying to accomplish… but you hoped trying was enough.

“Better, much better!” He said, sounding quite pleased after you’d focused for several seconds, although you were totally unable to sense any real change in your own energies.

“Really?”

“Yes, I could feel it that time. It’s not much, but for a child, it’s very impressive, and the fact that you can exert your energy like that will certainly be a point in your favor.”

“Thank you so much. I guess you’ll be going now?” You said, looking at him.

Something crossed his eyes. A dangerous look, perhaps one of hesitance?

“No… I think I’ll return you home. Can you find where you belong, if I return you to where we met?”

“Uh, yes, I think so,” you said, taking a look around. You were intending to return home alone, but now that your attention was drawn to it, it seemed like you were in a disturbingly bad part of town… in fact, you were almost certain that you were several districts down from where you had started, in the worse part of Rukongai. And that was saying something.

“Good, perhaps then we can- HGGGH!”

The white-haired Shinigami suddenly collapsed forward onto his knees, hacking and coughing. For a brief moment your mind flashed back to his lessons, about how another person’s Reiatsu could force a person to their knees or even kill them, if they were strong enough – but you felt nothing, and he said nothing about the blood that covered his hand as he pulled it away.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t think I can… make it to where we met… you should go, quickly,” he said, before another fit of coughing overwhelmed him. The sound was loud; loud enough you felt almost certain that the entire district must have heard him.

You wanted to stay with him… but coughing that loudly was sure to draw attention. You weren’t even sure if you could find your way back, yet if you stayed around, you might never make it back anyway. You had only a few seconds, perhaps a minute, before your choice was irrelevant. What would you decide, in that panicked moment?

**Stay with him, try to get him out of there: Go to Chapter 414**

**Run away, try to find your home: Go to Chapter 415**


	210. Chapter 210

“S-sorry, sir, I just wanted to know a little bit more about the exams.”

“Ah, I understand,” he said gently. “Well, I wish you luck!”

“Thanks!” You shouted back, before watching him turn and walk away. He seemed to be quite busy, or at least had plenty to occupy his time when he wanted to.

You eventually turned back and headed home. It didn’t take too long; you weren’t very far out of the way and you knew the route back. Armed with at least a little more knowledge, you were confronted with what to do for the rest of your day…

There was enough time to do some minor training, but that was really about it as far as actually doing anything. You’d already made one trip out into the Rukongai and weren’t about to make another, and there weren’t exactly dozens of other things for you to occupy your time with.

On the other hand, you could always just enjoy your last day in the Rukongai. It couldn’t hurt, and you might never see this place again, assuming tomorrow went well.

**Train for tomorrow: Go to Chapter 416**

**Relax and enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 417**


	211. Chapter 211

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. You wished you could’ve been at the level of a noble, as strong and fast as the two you met before… to blow the competition away… but you had years to get that strong. Given enough time you felt almost certain you could reach their level. For now, though, you’d settle for being able to enter the Academy at all.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 418**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 419**


	212. Chapter 212

You made your way out into the Rukongai, hoping that you could find some valuable information on the Academy, or maybe just something to occupy your time. The last time you’d gone out and about, you’d run into some very interesting people, the kind you’d never expected to run into in the Rukongai, so who knew what you might find this time?

But as you continued to trek along the roads, catching snippets of conversation here and there as you went, everything seemed fairly normal. There were no more visitors from the Seireitei, no Shinigami wandering the districts, and certainly no more Hollows. It was a quiet, peaceful day, and you never had reason to stop for more than a few moments.

Unfortunately the pace that you were going at, while hardly significant, was enough to put a serious strain on your body. After over an hour of walking you finally had to come to a stop, collapsing onto the nearest wall and gasping for air.

You weren’t sure how long you had to sit there, letting your tired body rest, but it wasn’t too long. Still, with as late in the day as it had already been when you set out, the sun was fading from the sky and the streets were mostly empty now. You set out for home, thankful that you hadn’t passed through a few of the shadier districts of the Rukongai to get here. They were not places you wanted to roam through alone at night.

You could barely keep your eyes open, so when you finally spotted your house, it was the most welcome relief you’d ever had. You practically collapsed into your corner, barely noticing anything but the inside of your own eyelids as your mind faded off.

~~~~

“Hey, what the hell are you doin’ in my house?!”

You awoke to that shout, and before you could even ask who was yelling at you, your body was thrown backwards and your abdomen exploded in pain. That was followed a moment later by the sound of wood smacking against bone, as your spine collided with what must have been the wall.

“What?! Who are you, what are you doing here?” You shouted out as you opened your eyes and looked up to see a white-haired boy, a few years older than you by his looks, growling and gesturing with his fist.

“That’s what I just asked, don’t get smart with me!” He looked ready to throw another blow at any moment, so you quickly had to say something.

“Wait! I just… where are we?”

He looked as if he didn’t understand why you were asking something like that. “East side of the fifty-forth district of Rukongai, where else?”

You groaned. Two whole districts away from where your home was. No wonder you’d had such a rude awakening.

He apparently didn’t like your pause. He took a step forward and grabbed you by the shoulder, just beside the neck. “Spit it out! Now why do I wake up to find you freeloading in my house?”

“Look, I just got lost. It was late last night, and I spent all day training. I thought this was my house, but I must have been too tired to tell where I was.”

“Training? Bah, likely story,” he grumbled, but he did release your shoulder. “Nobody was training yesterday; we didn’t even know if they’d cancel the examinations until it was almost midnight.”

“Cancel the exams?” The shock on your face said it all – that was a huge step. They hadn’t cancelled the Shinigami Academy entrance exams in over two hundred years.

“Yeah, after some big Hollow attack. Heard it was pretty bad. Now I need to get ready for them, so _get out of my house!_ ” He shouted, shaking his fist angrily at you and getting a little too close, clearly done giving you information. You just held up your hands in resignation and traipsed out, all too happy to get away from the screaming lunatic. He had some serious anger issues, that one. As soon as he saw you were on your way out, the white-haired kid turned away and went back toward the corner opposite where you had been.

Outside, you were trying to decide what to do. The Academy exams… they were today! You needed to get over there pretty quickly; sure, the rude awakening you got from the other kid was enough to give you a head start, but it was still a decent walk to the exams. On the other hand, if you stuck around here, you could always train for a little while before showing up. After all, there was a park not too far from here, and you knew that showing up strong could possibly be a more advantageous way to start off than just being on time… but what would you choose?

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 420**

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 421**


	213. Chapter 213

You would rest.

Something of your humanity remained, some partial semblance of a consciousness. Or, at the very least, some very primal protective instinct for what was once your species. Weak, perhaps, but strong enough to drive you away from the idea of feeding upon them.

You sank back into the cave and laid in wait. You’d had a fresh meal, and your wounds would heal on their own given a few hours of time. You had nothing but time now…

~~~~  
When you emerged, you were strong, stronger than before. The wound had regenerated, and the energy that was in the Hollow flesh you had consumed prior was now yours. You felt yourself growing more powerful… but so too was the hunger.

It was time to feast.

You wandered the wastes for an hour, seeing dozens of Hollows, but none close enough to easily catch, or powerful enough to justify the chase. For miles around, you seemed to be the strongest living thing. That was fine with you… as long as you didn’t let yourself get complacent again, you would be the top link on the food chain.

The reward for your patience came, eventually, in the form of another Gillian. It was off in the distance, but it had spotted you, and it was well on its way to reaching you already. It was opening its maw wide, and a great black ball of energy formed where its teeth had separated. You smirked, confident this time, but not arrogant.

As the massive Hollow fired off the beam, you charged headfirst, one arm extended as you blocked the beam, then continued on toward the Hollow. You weren’t sure if the mindless mass of souls saw you coming or not, but you were quite sure that if it did, it was the last thing it ever saw, as you tore through its neck with the ease you would rend the wind itself.

~~~~

The Hollow’s body was filling. The souls it encompassed were many, enough to sate your hunger again… for the time. With no injuries to recover from to speak of this time, it would hopefully last you for quite some time… assuming that you didn’t find a stupid way to burn it off.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. The more you focused on it, the more you fed, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand.

You finished the last of the Hollow that you cared to, casting the flesh aside with a sickening “splat” sound as black blood sprayed across the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to truly quench your hunger…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 422**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 423**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 424**


	214. Chapter 214

You would hunt… one day. For now, injured, the humans were helpless prey. So long as you did not overstay your welcome, it would surely be nothing to avoid the Shinigami and claim a fresh meal.

You held out a hand, not quite sure of what you were doing, only certain that it was what you needed to do. A gargantuan black portal began to fade in out of thin air, a long tunnel that led to the human world. You eyed it with mild interest, before staring at your hand and contemplating the abilities that you seemed to have. You had seen them, on occasion, when your mind was still but a fragment of a larger whole, but you had never truly felt what it was like to use them. The power was… intoxicating.

You stepped through the portal and licked the mask covering your lips as you thought forward to the meals awaiting you on the other side.

~~~~

The human world was both familiar and foreign to you. You had never been to this town, at least as far as you could remember, but the civilization of humanity drew your eye. But you felt nothing for it; at least, not any more. What drew your eye now were the people. They walked through the streets, into and out of buildings, all while completely oblivious to your presence. You eyed them with distaste, trying to sense out a particular meal. The humans below you all looked unappetizing; you needed a soul. From your perch atop a light pole, you could see that this city was vast. Surely, there was at least one wandering soul somewhere, or a human with particularly high spiritual pressure. For a human, anyway.

Like a scent on the air, you thought for sure that you were heading in the right direction as you turned east and sidled down the street. You were hardly larger than these humans, but you still had to be somewhat careful to avoid them. They could not see you, but they certainly could feel you if you walked into them. You didn’t want to draw unintentional attention… the Shinigami could arrive at any moment. You needed to be quick.

Your stealth and care paid off when you turned into a side street, guided by the faintest of senses in the back of your head. A growl rumbled up from your throat as you set eyes on a spirit, standing and looking sad at the opposite corner. Her eyes rose to you, and then widened in fear. She screamed and began sprinting away, dashing into and through several nearby humans.

Compared to you, she may as well have been crawling. Even with your injuries, in only three steps you were atop her, with your claws sinking deep into the ethereal flesh of your prey.

~~~~

Back in Hueco Mundo, you felt your strength increasing. Having fed had helped your injuries to begin recovering that much quicker; it seemed that human meals were impressively superior to Hollows. Perhaps it was the purity of their souls. Whatever the case was, you knew that you were back in prime condition, healed and strong enough that no Hollow would be able to challenge you, at least no Gillian like the last one.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. The more you focused on it, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to test your luck with the Shinigami…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 425**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 426**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 427**


	215. Chapter 215

Hollows would hopefully prove to be nothing more than an easy meal. As an… Adjuchas, that was the word, though you weren’t certain how you knew it, you felt sure you could take anything that dared cross your path.

That confidence ringing in your head, you set out to find prey, mind wandering but senses alert. You could almost feel the desert around you, the void that indicated there was nothing to be found for miles. But you had all the time in the world, and little else to do except feed.

The thought that you would find anything at all was slipping away from you when you finally noticed another presence. It was not through sight or sound, but rather the sudden light that seemed to flare up in your mind over the next hill. You lumbered toward it at the same slow pace, not bothering to rush. Your prey had not yet moved, and would not escape you.

When you crested the hill it came into sight, a tall and thin figure with a rounded head. A huge, expressionless mask covered most of its top with a nose that jutted out several yards. It turned as it spotted you and let loose a howl that shook the sands. You barely paused as you continued your leisurely pace.

A Gillian. You didn’t know for certain where the word had come from, but you knew its name, and that it was no match for you. You didn’t need to move toward it any longer; now that it had spotted you the Hollow was surging forward, mouth opening as it lunged toward you.

You put one hand up and gripped the underside of the Hollow’s mask, stopping it instantly. You were pushed back slightly by the force, but as soon as you dug your heels into the sand you regained traction. Curling your fingers into a tight fist you slammed your arm against the Hollow and sent it flying across the sands, a massive crack appearing in its mask.

Shaking your head at the futility of the beast’s efforts, you began to walk forward as your prey cried out in terror.

Or, so you thought.

The Hollow uncurled its neck and revealed a glowing black ball of energy. Your mind flashed another name – but you had no time to comprehend it, as the black mass fired forth and impacted on your chest.

You felt it batter your chest, but your strength was vastly superior to the beast’s. The attack dissipated shortly after hitting you, leaving your chest smoking but little else to indicate you’d been harmed save for a few burns and scratch marks. That did not mean you were without anger at the beast for daring to harm you.

Angered, you felt your mouth open in a scream of rage, impaling your arm through the carapace of the Gillian, ripping downward and tearing the Hollow from mask to ground. It let out one long squeal of pain and fell over.

As you stepped atop the prone corpse and dug your hands in, you pulled free a dark chunk of Hollow flesh. You gave it a toss and began to feast on your conquest.

~~~~~

You were nursing minor scratches, unwounded except for your pride, but still unhappy that you’d been caught so off guard. You had consumed almost every bit of it – you still weren’t sure how. You felt stronger, as if all the souls and pieces of that Hollow had become part of you instantly. Next time you would not allow yourself to be so off-guard because of the weakness of your foe.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. The more you focused on it, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to truly quench your hunger…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 428**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 429**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 430**


	216. Chapter 216

The humans were still available, and easy prey… and their souls were the most alluring, by far. With the literal wave of a hand, another black hole opened up, and you were rushing through the pathways between worlds, feeling the energy rising through your body… but not your own.

As you tore through into the human world, a strange sense washed over you. You turned your head, back and forth, wondering where it was coming from, not quite able to pinpoint the source of your feeling.

You wandered the streets, the barren and empty nighttime of the human world. You could not find what you were looking for; you wanted this power, whatever source of energy was tingling the edges of your mind.

And, it seemed, the power was coming directly to you.

It was visible after only a few minutes of travel, as a distinct black blur, leaping on high from a building above you. The silvery glitter and the motion that it made gave it away, if the black cloak and its superhuman leap had not already.

_”Shinigami.”_

As the words echoed through your mind, you threw yourself to the side, shoulder-checking a building and collapsing the wall of its second story. The screams and echoing shouts of humans occupying the building filled the air, but you paid them no mind. Instead you turned to the Shinigami, the brown-haired, sandal-footed warrior hefting his sword back up after he’d shattered a large portion of the street with it.

“Shit, it’s an Adjuchas!”

You focused in on the man, blood-red rage running through you at the mere sight of a Shinigami. His soul, you thought, would be the tastiest of all.

With a wild roar, you lunged toward him.

~~~~

Your mind was ablaze. You’d never felt stronger, not in any life, much less this one. His essence had fueled you, charged you, set your very being to the height of ecstasy. You felt magnificent, and you were sure that you were strong enough to hunt anything now.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it, or perhaps it was all the extra strength. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. It was as the Shinigami had been; a vague presence in your mind that drew your attention to it. The more you focused on it, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to test your luck, and perhaps find another Shinigami…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 431**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 432**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 433**


	217. Chapter 217

“Train me?”

“Of course, how can you expect to become a Shinigami if you don’t train for your entrance exam?” The smile the man had seemed genuine, and that was probably the only reason that you continued to believe that any of this was really happening to you. Both he and the woman stood up, and you rose to join them. “By the way, my name is Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. You can call me Shunsui, though,” he added a little wink to the end of his sentence, and you weren’t sure if this man was a real Shinigami or not.

You didn’t get much of a chance to question it, though, because he was pushing you out the door in the next moment, ushering you along through the halls.

“She’s already sleeping, and she’s not the one who has to get up early, so no waking her!” Shunsui’s voice was surprisingly loud and beaming for as much as he was cautioning you about noise.

“I can show him the way, Captain. I know how you get when you stay up late,” Lisa said, amusement evident in her voice.

“Now, now, I wouldn’t have you missing your beauty sleep on my behalf. Go on, I’ll take him to their room,” Shunsui said calmly. Lisa simply shrugged, and then was gone, as if she’d never been there in the first place. Your eyes widened at the display of power and speed. Shunsui caught the look and grinned, but said nothing.

You only walked for a few minutes, but still didn’t realize you had arrived until Shunsui swiped his arm and opened a sliding door. Inside, there was a young girl wrapped in covers, sleeping silently on a small mattress that didn’t look like much to the average person, but to your deprived body it was like heaven itself. A small bed to the side, on rickety legs and with a noticeably smaller mattress, was off to the side.

“See you in the morning!”

That was the only warning Shunsui gave before you were alone in the dark room, the door sliding shut behind you quickly and quietly. You just shrugged and headed for the bed, realizing then just how unbelievably tired you actually were. Without much of a reason to stay up, you quickly crawled into the vacant bed and fell unconscious in mere moments.

~~~~~

“H-hey!”

The semi-frightened voice of a young girl woke you up; to be specific, that of your new roommate. You were fully awake a few moments later when something slapped you in the head, hard.

You rolled out of bed, trying to get yourself behind the futon and give yourself some cover. When you finally got back up and looked over, you saw the girl from the night before, now wide awake and looking at you with a mixture of anger and fear.

“Get out of my room!” She half-shouted, throwing what you saw was another sandal at you; the wooden shoe flew over your head as you ducked, narrowly avoiding it.

You had to get her to stop throwing things, somehow. So you…

**Shouted at her to stop throwing things at you: Go to Chpater 434**

**Told her you were a friend: Go to Chapter 435**


	218. Chapter 218

“A tour, sir?”

“Of course, you’re going to be a Shinigami after all. How could we not give you a tour? You might just end up in our squad one day after all!” The smile the man had seemed genuine, and that was probably the only reason that you continued to believe that any of this was really happening to you. Both he and the woman stood up, and you rose to join them. “By the way, my name is Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. You can call me Shunsui, though,” he added a little wink to the end of his sentence, and you weren’t sure if this man was a real Shinigami or not.

You didn’t get much of a chance to question it, though, because he was pushing you out the door in the next moment, ushering you along through the halls.

“She’s already sleeping, and she’s not the one who has to get up early, so no waking her!” Shunsui’s voice was surprisingly loud and beaming for as much as he was cautioning you about noise.

“I can show him the way, Captain. I know how you get when you stay up late,” Lisa said, amusement evident in her voice.

“Now, now, I wouldn’t have you missing your beauty sleep on my behalf. Go on, I’ll take him to their room,” Shunsui said calmly. Lisa simply shrugged, and then was gone, as if she’d never been there in the first place. Your eyes widened at the display of power and speed. Shunsui caught the look and grinned, but said nothing.

You only walked for a few minutes, but still didn’t realize you had arrived until Shunsui swiped his arm and opened a sliding door. Inside, there was a young girl wrapped in covers, sleeping silently on a small mattress that didn’t look like much to the average person, but to your deprived body it was like heaven itself. A small bed to the side, on rickety legs and with a noticeably smaller mattress, was off to the side.

“See you in the morning!”

That was the only warning Shunsui gave before you were alone in the dark room, the door sliding shut behind you quickly and quietly. You just shrugged and headed for the bed, realizing then just how unbelievably tired you actually were. Without much of a reason to stay up, you quickly crawled into the vacant bed and fell unconscious in mere moments.

~~~~~

“H-hey!”

The semi-frightened voice of a young girl woke you up; to be specific, that of your new roommate. You were fully awake a few moments later when something slapped you in the head, hard.

You rolled out of bed, trying to get yourself behind the futon and give yourself some cover. When you finally got back up and looked over, you saw the girl from the night before, now wide awake and looking at you with a mixture of anger and fear.

“Get out of my room!” She half-shouted, throwing what you saw was another sandal at you; the wooden shoe flew over your head as you ducked, narrowly avoiding it.

You had to get her to stop throwing things, somehow. So you…

**Shouted at her to stop throwing things at you: Go to Chpater 436**

**Told her you were a friend: Go to Chapter 437**


	219. Chapter 219

You turned off onto another road and tried your best to remember where the house was. You hadn’t actually visited it in several weeks, not since the last time you had to travel to find an easy mark to steal food from.

Well, you had left it in good enough condition that surely they wouldn’t have deteriorated too much, or so you hoped anyway. With how late it was getting you had to deal with it, whatever it was like; anything was better than the streets, and that was going to be your only other option in a few minutes.

Despite the amount of time it had been since you last visited the place, it was actually only a short distance later that you began to recognize landmarks. A few minutes later and you were already there.

The building actually looked like it was in very good shape – pretty rare considering that when a building went without an owner it was usually left to dilapidate. In the hot and often humid weather of Soul Society summers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to fall apart if they were ever vacant for extended periods of time.

Walking inside, there were no signs of degradation at all. You smiled a little to see your old friend’s house holding together so well, and started toward a corner to make as best of a bed as you could.

You were stopped, however, when the wooden blade of a sword was pressed to your throat.

“What do you think you’re doing in my house, eh?” A mocking tone to the voice told you that whoever it was didn’t hold you as much of a threat. You cursed yourself for not checking to see if someone was inside. Just because there were no possessions didn’t mean anything considering how poor most people were.

“I… I was just-“

“You were just leavin’, right?”

You sighed as the blade was taken away. He didn’t stop staring at you though, and he never loosened his grip.

“This house was my friend’s, a long time ago. I’ve been using it ever since,” you said simply, trying to find a way to reason with this guy after you’d made such a first impression.

“Bullshit,” he said calmly, flourishing his sword once. “This place was empty when I got here. Quit makin’ up stories or I’ll beat you all the way to the eightieth district.”

“He left this place a long time ago, said he was going to get into Seireitei if it killed him. Maybe it did. I come here when I need to escape my own district for a while, like when a giant Hollow just tried to kill me” you said, still not moving away.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond bangs. “Hollow, eh? Yeah, I heard something about that… sounded like a bunch of bullshit, though. Tch… fine, whatever. I’m only crashing here for another day anyway. Come back in two days and it’ll be all yours.”

You sighed, and shook your head. “No good… I hope. I won’t be around here in two days. I’m going to the entrance exams as the Academy.” You were starting to feel a little silly, standing your ground against someone with a weapon, but he seemed so far to be rather lax about the whole situation. Something about him didn’t seem overly dangerous. Strong, yes, but not out to cause harm.

“You?” The man let out a snort. “Couldn’t even notice a guy standin’ right in front of ya. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem much like Shinigami material to me.”

You huffed, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t exactly your strongest moment. When neither of you said anything for several seconds, a slightly annoyed look came over the blonde’s face.

“Look, ya want a place to stay? Go find the empty house three blocks south of here. I only moved out of there cause I was tired of my neighbor anyway. Go on, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

You thought about arguing more, but he wasn’t giving any ground, even if he wasn’t being cruel about it.

“Thanks… I guess,” you said as you turned to the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the blonde muttered, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

You shook your head and made your way toward the empty house. You didn’t have much of a choice; the other kid seemed far more prepared for a fight, and he actually had a weapon, as non-lethal as it was.

The house was in cruddier condition, but overall wasn’t that much of a downgrade. You were only going to have to sleep here twice, with any luck, so it wasn’t like you were going to need it in the long haul. Still, it made you reconsider your choice to stay here instead of visiting the Seireitei. Even if it was with a Shinigami, and even if it wasn’t how you wanted to get there… you still kind of welcomed the idea of a bed at that moment.

You padded the ground until you found a spot that was comparatively soft to the rest of it and quickly set yourself down. There wasn’t much point in staying awake longer, but as you fell asleep, you couldn’t help but to have one thought…

**”I should talk to that blonde kid again”: Go to Chapter 438**

**“I need to train”: Go to Chapter 439**


	220. Chapter 220

You decided that in the end it was just easier to sleep on the street. You hadn’t been to the house in weeks, not since the last time you needed to find new marks to steal from when all the ones In your area grew too wary for a time. The house might be occupied; hell, it might even be in the process of falling apart. Buildings without owners in Soul Society often rotted away with little to nothing done about it; some were even torn down for the firewood in winters. Plus, you weren’t exactly used to a life of luxury. If you’d been expecting somewhere comfortable to sleep for the night you would’ve gone with the Shinigami instead of staying out here.

You searched until you found a suitably dark corner where there were enough boxes and rubbish to hide yourself within, so that anyone who passed through the alley wouldn’t notice the young child sleeping unless they were looking particularly closely in the moonlight. Then you built yourself a small shelter out of what there was that didn’t seem particularly filthy, and rested your head against the building. You got the feeling that sleep was still a ways off.

~~~~~

“Heeeeey! Are you dead?”

You were awoken quite rudely, with a bit of a pain in your face. You blinked your eyes against the sunlight streaming into the alley from above and quickly discovered why.

A strange young girl with green hair was pulling at your cheeks. She smiled as your eyes opened up and gave you a cheer.

“Yay! He’s aliiiive!”

“What the hell…” you mumbled as you rubbed at your eyes, inadvertently knocking some of the refuse away from you.

“No, silly, this is Soul Society! Are you new here?” 

You looked at this woman a bit oddly… she was definitely one of the more interesting characters that you had meant in the Rukongai, that was certain.

She must have seen the look that you gave her. “Oh, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’mmmmm Mashiro Kuna! Superhero Shinigami Savior of Soul Society!”

She struck a pose and you looked at her with a great deal of skepticism. “You’re… a Shinigami?”

“No, but I could be! Easy! I’m going to the Shinigami Academy tomorrow!” She puffed out her cheeks and you got the impression that she had become offended by your simple question.

“Okay... well, I’m just going to leave now…” you said as you brushed the rest of your pile away to clear a path and started to move away from the strange woman. You had to start thinking of how to prepare yourself today, how to-

“NOOOO! You can’t leave, I saved you! You owe me!” She squealed before you could even _start_ thinking.

You gave her a sigh. Clearly she was not going to leave you alone so easily. You needed to prepare for the Shinigami Academy exams, but… you were going to have to do something about her.

**Invite her along with you: Go to Chapter 440**

**Distract her and leave: Go to Chapter 441**


	221. Chapter 221

When you awoke the next morning you walked back to your original destination with a vengeance. With your resolve firm and a purpose in mind you weren’t sure if even a Hollow could stop you from accomplishing your goal. You walked in the door to find the kid relaxing against a wall, tapping his fingers on the wood, much as you left him the day before. As soon as you entered, though, he sat up, moderately aware but clearly not that interested.

“What do ya want? I told ya I’d be usin’ this place for another day, didn’t I?” The boy’s look was a mixture of confusion and annoyance, as if he’d both forgotten whether he actually had or not and simultaneously stopped giving a damn either way.

“You’re going to become a Shinigami, right?” You asked, somewhat emboldened, perhaps because he hadn’t seemed that cruel the day before, and perhaps because he was in such a relaxed position. “That’s why you’re not going to be here for very long?”

“What’s it to ya?”

You mentally sighed, seeing this wasn’t going anywhere fast, but were determined to continue on.

“We should train together.”

He snorted and leaned his head back against the wall, eyes already closed.

You stared at him for a moment, before realizing this probably wasn’t going to work. Whether he was overly confident in his own abilities or overly certain that yours were far below his, he seemed completely uninterested in the idea.

You sighed and leaned your head back against the wall, feeling frustrated. Clearly he wasn’t planning to budge, but… was it worth it to stick around and try to convince him? Or should you just go train on your own?

**Stick around, talk to him for a while: Go to Chapter 442**

**Just go train on your own: Go to Chapter 443**


	222. Chapter 222

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 444**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 445**


	223. Chapter 223

“Look, I really appreciate you… saving me…” you forced out, a little awkwardly, “…but I have to prepare for the Shinigami Academy entrance exams. If you want, you can-“

“YAAAAY Training!”

You hadn’t exactly gotten to the invitation part, but at least she was eager. With a shrug, you set out toward a part of the Rukongai that had a few more trees, a few less buildings, and a little bit more room for you to train.

The girl, Mashiro, followed excitedly along at your heels, babbling the whole way about just how much fun you two were going to have, and how she was going to be the greatest Shinigami that Soul Society had ever seen, and you could be her faithful sidekick. The names were constantly changing, as were your opinions of the girl. But, no matter what she may have seemed like at any given moment, at least you were quite certain you wouldn’t be bored as long as she was around.

~~~~~~

The park was small; maybe a city block, at most, but since you two appeared to be the only ones taking advantage of it on that day, it was more than enough for your uses. You turned to Mashiro and gave her a somewhat uncertain look.

“I don’t really know much about being a Shinigami, or how to train to become one, but I guess we may as well-“

“TAG!”

Mashiro bopped you on the nose with her fist, light enough that it didn’t really hurt but hard enough to make you feel it. Then she danced away on the tips of her toes, weaving between trees. When you didn’t immediately pursue her she gazed back after you and gave you a raspberry.

“Don’t give up already you big loser! It’s no fun if you don’t even try, even if you can’t beat someone as awesome as me!”

You gave a sigh. She clearly wasn’t that interested in real training but… well, you’d brought her along, why not indulge her for a while?

~~~~

Over the next several hours, until the sun had passed midday and begun to fall towards the evening position, you began to chase Mashiro around the park. Sometimes she would leap up high in trees and then immediately clambor down when you started to get near her, other times she simply ducked and weaved so fast you could barely keep her in sight. Only occasionally did you surprise her and get her, but she would always reclaim it quickly. She didn’t seem like much, didn’t even really seem like she was strong, but she was definitely fast, and just off her rocker enough to be pretty unpredictable.

Surprisingly enough, you actually did feel like you were improving a little, though. Maybe it wasn’t much, and you were sure it wouldn’t translate that well to a real world application, but you got pretty good at leaping between tree branches chasing the nimble girl, and you even got pretty adept at predicting how she would try to dodge your tags. It wasn’t… _training_ , per say, but even though you were absolutely coated in sweat by the end of it and you were utterly exhausted, you still felt like you’d had a lot of fun.

Mashiro seemed to be a little worn out, but nowhere near the level that you were, and she seemed a lot less entertained than you too.

“Well, you’re pretty good for a beginner, but nobody can keep up with Speed Queen Mashiro!” She shouted, adding yet another name to her list of aliases.

“You’re… pretty fast… how’d you get to be so quick?”

“Lots of tag!” She said with a smile. “Everyone tries, but almost nobody can tag Mashiro the Demon of the Rukongai, even when they use brooms, pans, knives…”

“Tag… huh?” Suddenly you got the feeling that her version of tag usually wasn’t consensual.

“But I’m bored now, even if you’re not the worse I’ve ever played with,” she said, faking a yawn. “Let’s go do something else. Let’s find a sword shop and rob it!”

You were quite certain there were no sword shops in the Rukongai, at least, none within a dozen districts of here. Getting ahold of them wasn’t easy; even in the seedier districts of the Rukongai the most common way was to rob or kill another man for one. She was probably going to go off on some fake adventure and then get distracted, but judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

You had more time to prepare, but this girl was certainly… interesting. You could always accompany her, see where the wind took you.

**Continue training on your own: Go to Chapter 446**

**Follow Mashiro: Go to Chapter 447**


	224. Chapter 224

“Hey… there’s a candy store getting robbed over there! They look like they’re in trouble!” You shouted, pointing down a side alley. It was a long shot at best, and you were quite certain that most people would never-

“OH NO! I’m coming mister! And I only want half of it as my rewaaaard!”

Mashiro scampered off down the street, leaving you to stare after her in wonder for a moment, before watching her look around in confusion and dash around a corner.

_Did she mean half the money, or… half the candy in the store?”_

Uncertain, and not sure you wanted to know the answer, you turned back to the task at hand – finding a place to train. The area around you seemed well enough empty to work with, and it would take too long to go somewhere else, so you decided that for now, at least, you would simply settle for the streets.

Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, with or without proper space. Still, as long as you worked on getting physically stronger, it shouldn’t matter too much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 448**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 449**


	225. Chapter 225

“Train me?”

“Of course, how can you expect to become a Shinigami if you don’t train for your entrance exam?” The smile the man had seemed genuine, and that was probably the only reason that you continued to believe that any of this was really happening to you. Both he and the woman stood up, and you rose to join them. “By the way, my name is Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. You can call me Shunsui, though,” he added a little wink to the end of his sentence, and you weren’t sure if this man was a real Shinigami or not.

You didn’t get much of a chance to question it, though, because he was pushing you out the door in the next moment, ushering you along through the halls.

“She’s already sleeping, and she’s not the one who has to get up early, so no waking her!” Shunsui’s voice was surprisingly loud and beaming for as much as he was cautioning you about noise.

“I can show him the way, Captain. I know how you get when you stay up late,” Lisa said, amusement evident in her voice.

“Now, now, I wouldn’t have you missing your beauty sleep on my behalf. Go on, I’ll take him to their room,” Shunsui said calmly. Lisa simply shrugged, and then was gone, as if she’d never been there in the first place. Your eyes widened at the display of power and speed. Shunsui caught the look and grinned, but said nothing.

You only walked for a few minutes, but still didn’t realize you had arrived until Shunsui swiped his arm and opened a sliding door. Inside, there was a young girl wrapped in covers, sleeping silently on a small mattress that didn’t look like much to the average person, but to your deprived body it was like heaven itself. A small bed to the side, on rickety legs and with a noticeably smaller mattress, was off to the side.

“See you in the morning!”

That was the only warning Shunsui gave before you were alone in the dark room, the door sliding shut behind you quickly and quietly. You just shrugged and headed for the bed, realizing then just how unbelievably tired you actually were. Without much of a reason to stay up, you quickly crawled into the vacant bed and fell unconscious in mere moments.

~~~~~

“H-hey!”

The semi-frightened voice of a young girl woke you up; to be specific, that of your new roommate. You were fully awake a few moments later when something slapped you in the head, hard.

You rolled out of bed, trying to get yourself behind the futon and give yourself some cover. When you finally got back up and looked over, you saw the girl from the night before, now wide awake and looking at you with a mixture of anger and fear.

“Get out of my room!” She half-shouted, throwing what you saw was another sandal at you; the wooden shoe flew over your head as you ducked, narrowly avoiding it.

You had to get her to stop throwing things, somehow. So you…

**Shouted at her to stop throwing things at you: Go to Chpater 450**

**Told her you were a friend: Go to Chapter 451**


	226. Chapter 226

“A tour, sir?”

“Of course, you’re going to be a Shinigami after all. How could we not give you a tour? You might just end up in our squad one day after all!” The smile the man had seemed genuine, and that was probably the only reason that you continued to believe that any of this was really happening to you. Both he and the woman stood up, and you rose to join them. “By the way, my name is Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. You can call me Shunsui, though,” he added a little wink to the end of his sentence, and you weren’t sure if this man was a real Shinigami or not.

You didn’t get much of a chance to question it, though, because he was pushing you out the door in the next moment, ushering you along through the halls.

“She’s already sleeping, and she’s not the one who has to get up early, so no waking her!” Shunsui’s voice was surprisingly loud and beaming for as much as he was cautioning you about noise.

“I can show him the way, Captain. I know how you get when you stay up late,” Lisa said, amusement evident in her voice.

“Now, now, I wouldn’t have you missing your beauty sleep on my behalf. Go on, I’ll take him to their room,” Shunsui said calmly. Lisa simply shrugged, and then was gone, as if she’d never been there in the first place. Your eyes widened at the display of power and speed. Shunsui caught the look and grinned, but said nothing.

You only walked for a few minutes, but still didn’t realize you had arrived until Shunsui swiped his arm and opened a sliding door. Inside, there was a young girl wrapped in covers, sleeping silently on a small mattress that didn’t look like much to the average person, but to your deprived body it was like heaven itself. A small bed to the side, on rickety legs and with a noticeably smaller mattress, was off to the side.

“See you in the morning!”

That was the only warning Shunsui gave before you were alone in the dark room, the door sliding shut behind you quickly and quietly. You just shrugged and headed for the bed, realizing then just how unbelievably tired you actually were. Without much of a reason to stay up, you quickly crawled into the vacant bed and fell unconscious in mere moments.

~~~~~

“H-hey!”

The semi-frightened voice of a young girl woke you up; to be specific, that of your new roommate. You were fully awake a few moments later when something slapped you in the head, hard.

You rolled out of bed, trying to get yourself behind the futon and give yourself some cover. When you finally got back up and looked over, you saw the girl from the night before, now wide awake and looking at you with a mixture of anger and fear.

“Get out of my room!” She half-shouted, throwing what you saw was another sandal at you; the wooden shoe flew over your head as you ducked, narrowly avoiding it.

You had to get her to stop throwing things, somehow. So you…

**Shouted at her to stop throwing things at you: Go to Chpater 452**

**Told her you were a friend: Go to Chapter 453**


	227. Chapter 227

You turned off onto another road and tried your best to remember where the house was. You hadn’t actually visited it in several weeks, not since the last time you had to travel to find an easy mark to steal food from.

Well, you had left it in good enough condition that surely they wouldn’t have deteriorated too much, or so you hoped anyway. With how late it was getting you had to deal with it, whatever it was like; anything was better than the streets, and that was going to be your only other option in a few minutes.

Despite the amount of time it had been since you last visited the place, it was actually only a short distance later that you began to recognize landmarks. A few minutes later and you were already there.

The building actually looked like it was in very good shape – pretty rare considering that when a building went without an owner it was usually left to dilapidate. In the hot and often humid weather of Soul Society summers, it wasn’t uncommon for them to fall apart if they were ever vacant for extended periods of time.

Walking inside, there were no signs of degradation at all. You smiled a little to see your old friend’s house holding together so well, and started toward a corner to make as best of a bed as you could.

You were stopped, however, when the wooden blade of a sword was pressed to your throat.

“What do you think you’re doing in my house, eh?” A mocking tone to the voice told you that whoever it was didn’t hold you as much of a threat. You cursed yourself for not checking to see if someone was inside. Just because there were no possessions didn’t mean anything considering how poor most people were.

“I… I was just-“

“You were just leavin’, right?”

You sighed as the blade was taken away. He didn’t stop staring at you though, and he never loosened his grip.

“This house was my friend’s, a long time ago. I’ve been using it ever since,” you said simply, trying to find a way to reason with this guy after you’d made such a first impression.

“Bullshit,” he said calmly, flourishing his sword once. “This place was empty when I got here. Quit makin’ up stories or I’ll beat you all the way to the eightieth district.”

“He left this place a long time ago, said he was going to get into Seireitei if it killed him. Maybe it did. I come here when I need to escape my own district for a while, like when a giant Hollow just tried to kill me” you said, still not moving away.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond bangs. “Hollow, eh? Yeah, I heard something about that… sounded like a bunch of bullshit, though. Tch… fine, whatever. I’m only crashing here for another day anyway. Come back in two days and it’ll be all yours.”

You sighed, and shook your head. “No good… I hope. I won’t be around here in two days. I’m going to the entrance exams as the Academy.” You were starting to feel a little silly, standing your ground against someone with a weapon, but he seemed so far to be rather lax about the whole situation. Something about him didn’t seem overly dangerous. Strong, yes, but not out to cause harm.

“You?” The man let out a snort. “Couldn’t even notice a guy standin’ right in front of ya. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem much like Shinigami material to me.”

You huffed, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t exactly your strongest moment. When neither of you said anything for several seconds, a slightly annoyed look came over the blonde’s face.

“Look, ya want a place to stay? Go find the empty house three blocks south of here. I only moved out of there cause I was tired of my neighbor anyway. Go on, I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

You thought about arguing more, but he wasn’t giving any ground, even if he wasn’t being cruel about it.

“Thanks… I guess,” you said as you turned to the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the blonde muttered, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

You shook your head and made your way toward the empty house. You didn’t have much of a choice; the other kid seemed far more prepared for a fight, and he actually had a weapon, as non-lethal as it was.

The house was in cruddier condition, but overall wasn’t that much of a downgrade. You were only going to have to sleep here twice, with any luck, so it wasn’t like you were going to need it in the long haul. Still, it made you reconsider your choice to stay here instead of visiting the Seireitei. Even if it was with a Shinigami, and even if it wasn’t how you wanted to get there… you still kind of welcomed the idea of a bed at that moment.

You padded the ground until you found a spot that was comparatively soft to the rest of it and quickly set yourself down. There wasn’t much point in staying awake longer, but as you fell asleep, you couldn’t help but to have one thought…

**”I should talk to that blonde kid again”: Go to Chapter 454**

**“I need to train”: Go to Chapter 455**


	228. Chapter 228

You decided that in the end it was just easier to sleep on the street. You hadn’t been to the house in weeks, not since the last time you needed to find new marks to steal from when all the ones In your area grew too wary for a time. The house might be occupied; hell, it might even be in the process of falling apart. Buildings without owners in Soul Society often rotted away with little to nothing done about it; some were even torn down for the firewood in winters. Plus, you weren’t exactly used to a life of luxury. If you’d been expecting somewhere comfortable to sleep for the night you would’ve gone with the Shinigami instead of staying out here.

You searched until you found a suitably dark corner where there were enough boxes and rubbish to hide yourself within, so that anyone who passed through the alley wouldn’t notice the young child sleeping unless they were looking particularly closely in the moonlight. Then you built yourself a small shelter out of what there was that didn’t seem particularly filthy, and rested your head against the building. You got the feeling that sleep was still a ways off.

~~~~~

“Heeeeey! Are you dead?”

You were awoken quite rudely, with a bit of a pain in your face. You blinked your eyes against the sunlight streaming into the alley from above and quickly discovered why.

A strange young girl with green hair was pulling at your cheeks. She smiled as your eyes opened up and gave you a cheer.

“Yay! He’s aliiiive!”

“What the hell…” you mumbled as you rubbed at your eyes, inadvertently knocking some of the refuse away from you.

“No, silly, this is Soul Society! Are you new here?” 

You looked at this woman a bit oddly… she was definitely one of the more interesting characters that you had meant in the Rukongai, that was certain.

She must have seen the look that you gave her. “Oh, silly me! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’mmmmm Mashiro Kuna! Superhero Shinigami Savior of Soul Society!”

She struck a pose and you looked at her with a great deal of skepticism. “You’re… a Shinigami?”

“No, but I could be! Easy! I’m going to the Shinigami Academy tomorrow!” She puffed out her cheeks and you got the impression that she had become offended by your simple question.

“Okay... well, I’m just going to leave now…” you said as you brushed the rest of your pile away to clear a path and started to move away from the strange woman. You had to start thinking of how to prepare yourself today, how to-

“NOOOO! You can’t leave, I saved you! You owe me!” She squealed before you could even _start_ thinking.

You gave her a sigh. Clearly she was not going to leave you alone so easily. You needed to prepare for the Shinigami Academy exams, but… you were going to have to do something about her.

**Invite her along with you: Go to Chapter 456**

**Distract her and leave: Go to Chapter 457**


	229. Chapter 229

When you awoke the next morning you walked back to your original destination with a vengeance. With your resolve firm and a purpose in mind you weren’t sure if even a Hollow could stop you from accomplishing your goal. You walked in the door to find the kid relaxing against a wall, tapping his fingers on the wood, much as you left him the day before. As soon as you entered, though, he sat up, moderately aware but clearly not that interested.

“What do ya want? I told ya I’d be usin’ this place for another day, didn’t I?” The boy’s look was a mixture of confusion and annoyance, as if he’d both forgotten whether he actually had or not and simultaneously stopped giving a damn either way.

“You’re going to become a Shinigami, right?” You asked, somewhat emboldened, perhaps because he hadn’t seemed that cruel the day before, and perhaps because he was in such a relaxed position. “That’s why you’re not going to be here for very long?”

“What’s it to ya?”

You mentally sighed, seeing this wasn’t going anywhere fast, but were determined to continue on.

“We should train together.”

He snorted and leaned his head back against the wall, eyes already closed.

You stared at him for a moment, before realizing this probably wasn’t going to work. Whether he was overly confident in his own abilities or overly certain that yours were far below his, he seemed completely uninterested in the idea.

You sighed and leaned your head back against the wall, feeling frustrated. Clearly he wasn’t planning to budge, but… was it worth it to stick around and try to convince him? Or should you just go train on your own?

**Stick around, talk to him for a while: Go to Chapter 458**

**Just go train on your own: Go to Chapter 459**


	230. Chapter 230

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to 460**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 461**


	231. Chapter 231

“Look, I really appreciate you… saving me…” you forced out, a little awkwardly, “…but I have to prepare for the Shinigami Academy entrance exams. If you want, you can-“

“YAAAAY Training!”

You hadn’t exactly gotten to the invitation part, but at least she was eager. With a shrug, you set out toward a part of the Rukongai that had a few more trees, a few less buildings, and a little bit more room for you to train.

The girl, Mashiro, followed excitedly along at your heels, babbling the whole way about just how much fun you two were going to have, and how she was going to be the greatest Shinigami that Soul Society had ever seen, and you could be her faithful sidekick. The names were constantly changing, as were your opinions of the girl. But, no matter what she may have seemed like at any given moment, at least you were quite certain you wouldn’t be bored as long as she was around.

~~~~~~

The park was small; maybe a city block, at most, but since you two appeared to be the only ones taking advantage of it on that day, it was more than enough for your uses. You turned to Mashiro and gave her a somewhat uncertain look.

“I don’t really know much about being a Shinigami, or how to train to become one, but I guess we may as well-“

“TAG!”

Mashiro bopped you on the nose with her fist, light enough that it didn’t really hurt but hard enough to make you feel it. Then she danced away on the tips of her toes, weaving between trees. When you didn’t immediately pursue her she gazed back after you and gave you a raspberry.

“Don’t give up already you big loser! It’s no fun if you don’t even try, even if you can’t beat someone as awesome as me!”

You gave a sigh. She clearly wasn’t that interested in real training but… well, you’d brought her along, why not indulge her for a while?

~~~~

Over the next several hours, until the sun had passed midday and begun to fall towards the evening position, you began to chase Mashiro around the park. Sometimes she would leap up high in trees and then immediately clambor down when you started to get near her, other times she simply ducked and weaved so fast you could barely keep her in sight. Only occasionally did you surprise her and get her, but she would always reclaim it quickly. She didn’t seem like much, didn’t even really seem like she was strong, but she was definitely fast, and just off her rocker enough to be pretty unpredictable.

Surprisingly enough, you actually did feel like you were improving a little, though. Maybe it wasn’t much, and you were sure it wouldn’t translate that well to a real world application, but you got pretty good at leaping between tree branches chasing the nimble girl, and you even got pretty adept at predicting how she would try to dodge your tags. It wasn’t… _training_ , per say, but even though you were absolutely coated in sweat by the end of it and you were utterly exhausted, you still felt like you’d had a lot of fun.

Mashiro seemed to be a little worn out, but nowhere near the level that you were, and she seemed a lot less entertained than you too.

“Well, you’re pretty good for a beginner, but nobody can keep up with Speed Queen Mashiro!” She shouted, adding yet another name to her list of aliases.

“You’re… pretty fast… how’d you get to be so quick?”

“Lots of tag!” She said with a smile. “Everyone tries, but almost nobody can tag Mashiro the Demon of the Rukongai, even when they use brooms, pans, knives…”

“Tag… huh?” Suddenly you got the feeling that her version of tag usually wasn’t consensual.

“But I’m bored now, even if you’re not the worse I’ve ever played with,” she said, faking a yawn. “Let’s go do something else. Let’s find a sword shop and rob it!”

You were quite certain there were no sword shops in the Rukongai, at least, none within a dozen districts of here. Getting ahold of them wasn’t easy; even in the seedier districts of the Rukongai the most common way was to rob or kill another man for one. She was probably going to go off on some fake adventure and then get distracted, but judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

You had more time to prepare, but this girl was certainly… interesting. You could always accompany her, see where the wind took you.

**Continue training on your own: Go to Chapter 462**

**Follow Mashiro: Go to Chapter 463**


	232. Chapter 232

“Hey… there’s a candy store getting robbed over there! They look like they’re in trouble!” You shouted, pointing down a side alley. It was a long shot at best, and you were quite certain that most people would never-

“OH NO! I’m coming mister! And I only want half of it as my rewaaaard!”

Mashiro scampered off down the street, leaving you to stare after her in wonder for a moment, before watching her look around in confusion and dash around a corner.

_Did she mean half the money, or… half the candy in the store?”_

Uncertain, and not sure you wanted to know the answer, you turned back to the task at hand – finding a place to train. The area around you seemed well enough empty to work with, and it would take too long to go somewhere else, so you decided that for now, at least, you would simply settle for the streets.

Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, with or without proper space. Still, as long as you worked on getting physically stronger, it shouldn’t matter too much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. They did some kind of magic, but you couldn’t even think of the name at the moment, much less actually try it yourself. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. They also practiced with swords – now there was something you might be able to do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d long since worn off that food that you’d gotten yesterday. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even run into someone who could help you with the exam.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 464**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 465**


	233. Chapter 233

You might as well just head out. She was kind of grumpy when she was awake; at least when she was asleep she tended to scream a lot less.

You eventually managed to find your way home, though it took a bit longer than you would’ve liked. You weren’t terribly familiar with the area, and even after you knew where you were there was a long distance to cover. By the time you reached your home, the sun was already setting in the distance. You’d travelled enough for one day, and were in no hurry to do otherwise, and with the exams tomorrow, you wanted to get down to some training.

Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but your stomach was so unused to the exercise that you could only keep that up for a few minutes at a time before you started getting massive cramps. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. There wasn’t very much time left until the sun set, and you didn’t feel like going anywhere anymore. Training further, for today at least, was out of the question with the time of day and your tiredness. With few other options, you eventually decided the best choice was to simply fall asleep.

~~~~

When you awoke the next morning, the sun was just rising over the hovels lining the horizon. You knew that the exams would be fairly soon, but they were not likely to start for at least another hour. You had time to train… then again, you could also head over there now, arrive early and see who might be there. What would you do?

**Train before the exam: Go to Chapter 466**

**Head over to the exams early: Go to Chapter 467**


	234. Chapter 234

You decided to wait around for her to wake up. Chances were she was pretty strong… or at least, you hoped so, considering that she’d been smacking a Hollow around with a chunk of wood when you first met up with her. If that was weak you’d really hate to run into strong.

You didn’t have to wait for very long anyway.

“Oh shit! Why does it feel like I got plowed into by a friggin’ house?”

“Probably because you got attacked by a Hollow.”

“WAH! What the hell are you still doing here?!”

Raising an eyebrow at her in question, you retorted immediately. “When you invite someone to spend the night, it’s generally a safe bet that they’ll be there in the morning.”

“Sh-shut up! Night’s over, get the hell out!”

A long sigh escaped your lips, as you toyed with the dirt that you were sitting upon, shaking your head. This girl did not act like anyone who had invited someone into their home, much less like someone that had had their life saved.

“Whatever, I’m done with you. I’ve got better things to do.”

She rushed to her feet and started heading for the door. Figuring that you weren’t going to get her to be nice, you could at least hope for cooperative.

“Hey, we should train together.”

She paused at the door frame, actually grabbing onto it as she physically stopped herself from falling forward any further. The look on her face as she turned over her shoulder was one of sarcastic skepticism.

“And why would I do something like that? You don’t think I have better things to do with my time?”

“Not when the Academy is holding exams tomorrow,” you said, feeling rather like you were lecturing here.

“There’s WHAT?!”

You shook your head and wondered where this girl had been that she’d never heard anything. It was pretty rare, but not unheard of; generally speaking news travelled fast in the Rukongai, even to those that others were wary of.

“There are Academy exams. Tomorrow. We should train… get the picture now?”

You let out an exhale of breath as a sudden kick was planted in your gut. A shout of pain filled the air as you clutched at your gut, trying to hold onto your abdomen and finding it difficult to bend that far.

“What the hell… are you doing?” You choked out.

“You said we were gonna train!”

“NOT RIGHT NOW!”

“Well try bein’ more clear next time!” She scoffed and rolled her eyes, as if the idea that you hadn’t planned on being assaulted right then was totally foreign to her.

You just sighed. This may not have been the smartest choice for your physical safety, but if you could keep her in check for one afternoon, you could probably get into the Shinigami Academy with little or no difficulty.

~~~~

It wasn’t as hard as you thought, at least not the cooperation. Turned out she actually had expected you to be ready, or at least she played the act convincingly. She didn’t attack you again until both of you were standing up, facing each other, in what you hoped was a convincing enough stance that she would hesitate a little bit before pummeling you into oblivion.

That was where the real difficulties came into play.

Hiyori was strong. Infinitely moreso than you; whatever natural strength she had may have been far from Shinigami level, but it was advanced enough to make each one of her blows approach excessive levels of pain. Luckily, you were at least able to keep up with her, somewhat. You got a few hits of your own, and she did react a little to them. Not only that, but as time went on, you started to get a good feel for her moves. She didn’t put a whole lot of thought into what she was doing, as far as you could tell.

That being said, it was really no surprise that after only a couple hours – though it felt much longer – you had been worn to the bone as far as pain and soreness could go. You were going to be bruised over much of your body when tomorrow came, that was certain. But you had gotten a lot more raw fighting experience than you’d ever had, at least. And if what didn’t kill you made you stronger…

“Bah, you barely gave me a workout,” Hiyori muttered, though you could see sweat across her brow. “Not bad at taking a punch, though.”

“Gee, thanks. That’s exactly what I wanted to be known for,” you said, rolling your eyes.

“Better than being the pulp I smashed,” she countered, flopping down on the ground in the corner. “The hell am I supposed to do now? You couldn’t even hold out ‘til noon!”

“You didn’t even plan on training until I told you that there were entrance exams,” you said, your eye twitching slightly. “Just do whatever you were going to do before that!”

“Whatever!” She rolled her eyes and started out the door, either forgetting it was her house or actually taking your advice and going to do something outside.

With a sigh, you realized you were far, far too sore to walk all the way home – especially since you barely knew where you were - but you didn’t want to just sit around, either. You could try doing some lighter exercise, something that wouldn’t strain your bruised areas, or you could follow after Hiyori. Maybe she was doing something interesting enough to pass the time until tomorrow.

**Train a little: Go to Chapter 468**

**Follow Hiyori: Go to Chapter 469**


	235. Chapter 235

You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. 

However, while Rukongai citizens knew surprisingly little about the examinations beyond the obvious, you soon found someone who would certainly know more…

~~~~

“Th-there’s really no need to thank me. I just hope you’ll find these a little more comfortable.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much. I didn’t… I didn’t know how we would make it, when winter comes it’s always so-“

“Really, now, it’s nothing. I only wish we could do more.”

The sight that you stumbled upon was unusual, and completely unexpected. Those words were exchanged between three people – an aged woman, not yet elderly; a young girl, no more than ten, and a Shinigami. No, more than that, a _Shinigami Captain_. You recognized the haori he was wearing, more from tales that you had heard than any personal experience. Your eyes widened as he gave a little wave to the family and turned away. You were so shocked it took you several seconds before you started after him, shouting down the street, not particularly caring who heard.

Several people stared at you, but thankfully one of them was the Shinigami in question. He looked at you with a bit of surprise, but mostly curiosity. He was probably used to being called over by children.

“Yes, is there something I can do for you?”

You stopped as you came within a few feet of him, and tried to straighten your thoughts. You didn’t want to appear foolish in front of one of the few Shinigami that you’d seen, much less one you were about to ask for assistance.

“I… I’m going to be taking the Shinigami Academy examinations tomorrow!”

He smiled, even though you hadn’t said what you needed to yet. “That’s great. I’m sure you will make a fine Shinigami.”

You shook your head frantically. “No, that’s not why I came here. I wanted to ask if you could help me, somehow. If you knew anything about the examination that would help me.”

He nodded and looked at you seriously for a few moments. You couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable; it was like he was scrutinizing your very being.

After a few seconds he put his hand to his chin and looked at you seriously. “You have potential. Your spirit is strong, but… you need training to really prove that in the examinations. If you can prove that you have the drive and ability to grow stronger, that should be enough for them to accept you.”

You sighed and looked down, a bit saddened that his advice was essentially just growing stronger. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you’d hoped that there would be some kind of trick to becoming a Shinigami that you could find out.

He saw your defeated look and must have mistaken the ideas in your head. “There now, no need to look so down. Even if you don’t make it this time, you can always try again at the next entrance exam. That will give you plenty of time to train.”

“I suppose… thank you, sir,” You said, giving a bow of your head before turning around.

You thought you heard the Shinigami leave, but were surprised when you heard his voice calling out from behind you.

“Perhaps… I could show you something of a Shinigami’s abilities, to help you impress the examiners.”

You turned back toward him, thinking quickly. He was offering to train you? In the manner of a true Shinigami, nonetheless. Could you really pass such a chance up?

**Train with him: Go to Chapter 470**

**Decline the offer: Go to Chapter 471**


	236. Chapter 236

Your eyes peeled open with the first light of dawn. You had a mission in mind, and you wanted to get an early start. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right? You absentmindedly finished off the last half of the loaf of bread you’d been given, and set your mind to increasing your physical strength.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now that you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to 472**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to 473**


	237. Chapter 237

“Uh... really?” You asked hesitantly.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t lie,” he said with a small smile.

“Please, and thank you!” You said, giving a small bow to the Shinigami. “But what did you have in mind?”

“Well…” he put his hand to his chin and looked thoughtful for a moment. “…we don’t have much time before I have to return, so there’s no point in trying to train you physically. Maybe if I showed you a little something about how to control your Reiatsu, you could learn enough to impress the judges?”

You looked at yourself briefly, uncertain as to whether that was even something you were capable of.

Shunsui must have seen the look on your face. He laughed a little and gave that very disarming smirk. “Don’t worry, I promise you, the judges who evaluate you will judge you as a civilian, not as a Shinigami. Plus, anyone who can get into the Academy should be capable of what I’m about to show you.”

You were brimming with excitement, and nodded vigorously.

“Alright, let’s walk as we do this. There’s a bit of explanation you need to hear. Now, do you know what the difference is between Reiatsu and Reishi?”

~~~~  
The Shinigami’s instructions were beyond helpful. In fact, it almost felt like you were in a class; and with how much fun you had learning from him, if the Academy was anything like that, you knew it was the place for you. He taught as you walked, for the most part, only stopping long enough for you to demonstrate that you understood a particular concept. You studied along and had so much fun learning about the mysterious creatures known as Shinigami that you almost forgot it was educational.

“Alright, now give it one more try,” he said, demonstrating the stance that he’d shown you before.

“Okay…” you said quietly, a little uncertain of yourself. You assumed the proper stance and then focused within yourself. You didn’t really know much about what it was, exactly, that you were trying to accomplish… but you hoped trying was enough.

“Better, much better!” He said, sounding quite pleased after you’d focused for several seconds, although you were totally unable to sense any real change in your own energies.

“Really?”

“Yes, I could feel it that time. It’s not much, but for a child, it’s very impressive, and the fact that you can exert your energy like that will certainly be a point in your favor.”

“Thank you so much. I guess you’ll be going now?” You said, looking at him.

Something crossed his eyes. A dangerous look, perhaps one of hesitance?

“No… I think I’ll return you home. Can you find where you belong, if I return you to where we met?”

“Uh, yes, I think so,” you said, taking a look around. You were intending to return home alone, but now that your attention was drawn to it, it seemed like you were in a disturbingly bad part of town… in fact, you were almost certain that you were several districts down from where you had started, in the worse part of Rukongai. And that was saying something.

“Good, perhaps then we can- HGGGH!”

The white-haired Shinigami suddenly collapsed forward onto his knees, hacking and coughing. For a brief moment your mind flashed back to his lessons, about how another person’s Reiatsu could force a person to their knees or even kill them, if they were strong enough – but you felt nothing, and he said nothing about the blood that covered his hand as he pulled it away.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t think I can… make it to where we met… you should go, quickly,” he said, before another fit of coughing overwhelmed him. The sound was loud; loud enough you felt almost certain that the entire district must have heard him.

You wanted to stay with him… but coughing that loudly was sure to draw attention. You weren’t even sure if you could find your way back, yet if you stayed around, you might never make it back anyway. You had only a few seconds, perhaps a minute, before your choice was irrelevant. What would you decide, in that panicked moment?

**Stay with him, try to get him out of there: Go to Chapter 474**

**Run away, try to find your home: Go to Chapter 475**


	238. Chapter 238

“S-sorry, sir, I just wanted to know a little bit more about the exams.”

“Ah, I understand,” he said gently. “Well, I wish you luck!”

“Thanks!” You shouted back, before watching him turn and walk away. He seemed to be quite busy, or at least had plenty to occupy his time when he wanted to.

You eventually turned back and headed home. It didn’t take too long; you weren’t very far out of the way and you knew the route back. Armed with at least a little more knowledge, you were confronted with what to do for the rest of your day…

There was enough time to do some minor training, but that was really about it as far as actually doing anything. You’d already made one trip out into the Rukongai and weren’t about to make another, and there weren’t exactly dozens of other things for you to occupy your time with. Besides, you felt safer at home, considering what had happened the day before…

On the other hand, you could always just enjoy your last day in the Rukongai. It couldn’t hurt, and you might never see this place again, assuming tomorrow went well.

**Train for tomorrow: Go to Chapter 476**

**Relax and enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 477**


	239. Chapter 239

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. You wanted to be strong – strong enough that the next time you encountered a Hollow, you’d be able to face it down without fear. For now, though, you’d settle for being able to enter the Academy at all.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 478**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 479**


	240. Chapter 240

You made your way out into the Rukongai, hoping that you could find some valuable information on the Academy, or maybe just something to occupy your time. The last time you’d gone out and about, you’d run into some very interesting people, the kind you’d never expected to run into in the Rukongai, so who knew what you might find this time?

But as you continued to trek along the roads, catching snippets of conversation here and there as you went, everything seemed fairly normal. There were no more visitors from the Seireitei, no Shinigami wandering the districts, and certainly no more Hollows. It was a quiet, peaceful day, and you never had reason to stop for more than a few moments.

Unfortunately the pace that you were going at, while hardly significant, was enough to put a serious strain on your body. After over an hour of walking you finally had to come to a stop, collapsing onto the nearest wall and gasping for air.

You weren’t sure how long you had to sit there, letting your tired body rest, but it wasn’t too long. Still, with as late in the day as it had already been when you set out, the sun was fading from the sky and the streets were mostly empty now. You set out for home, thankful that you hadn’t passed through a few of the shadier districts of the Rukongai to get here. They were not places you wanted to roam through alone at night.

You could barely keep your eyes open, so when you finally spotted your house, it was the most welcome relief you’d ever had. You practically collapsed into your corner, barely noticing anything but the inside of your own eyelids as your mind faded off.

~~~~

“Hey, what the hell are you doin’ in my house?!”

You awoke to that shout, and before you could even ask who was yelling at you, your body was thrown backwards and your abdomen exploded in pain. That was followed a moment later by the sound of wood smacking against bone, as your spine collided with what must have been the wall.

“What?! Who are you, what are you doing here?” You shouted out as you opened your eyes and looked up to see a white-haired boy, a few years older than you by his looks, growling and gesturing with his fist.

“That’s what I just asked, don’t get smart with me!” He looked ready to throw another blow at any moment, so you quickly had to say something.

“Wait! I just… where are we?”

He looked as if he didn’t understand why you were asking something like that. “East side of the fifty-forth district of Rukongai, where else?”

You groaned. Two whole districts away from where your home was. No wonder you’d had such a rude awakening.

He apparently didn’t like your pause. He took a step forward and grabbed you by the shoulder, just beside the neck. “Spit it out! Now why do I wake up to find you freeloading in my house?”

“Look, I just got lost. It was late last night, and I spent all day training and wandering around the Rukongai, trying to find information about the exams. I thought this was my house, but I must have been too tired to tell where I was.”

“Training? Bah, likely story,” he grumbled, but he did release your shoulder. “Nobody was training yesterday; we didn’t even know if they’d cancel the examinations until it was almost midnight.”

“Cancel the exams?” The shock on your face said it all – that was a huge step. They hadn’t cancelled the Shinigami Academy entrance exams in over two hundred years.

“Yeah, after some big Hollow attack. Heard it was pretty bad. Now I need to get ready for them, so _get out of my house!_ ” He shouted, shaking his fist angrily at you and getting a little too close, clearly done giving you information. You just held up your hands in resignation and traipsed out, all too happy to get away from the screaming lunatic. He had some serious anger issues, that one. As soon as he saw you were on your way out, the white-haired kid turned away and went back toward the corner opposite where you had been.

Outside, you were trying to decide what to do. The Academy exams… they were today! You needed to get over there pretty quickly; sure, the rude awakening you got from the other kid was enough to give you a head start, but it was still a decent walk to the exams. On the other hand, if you stuck around here, you could always train for a little while before showing up. After all, there was a park not too far from here, and you knew that showing up strong could possibly be a more advantageous way to start off than just being on time… but what would you choose?

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 480**

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 481**


	241. Chapter 241

You would rest.

Something of your humanity remained, some partial semblance of a consciousness. Or, at the very least, some very primal protective instinct for what was once your species. Weak, perhaps, but strong enough to drive you away from the idea of feeding upon them.

You sank back into the cave and laid in wait. You’d had a fresh meal, and your wounds would heal on their own given a few hours of time. You had nothing but time now…

~~~~  
When you emerged, you were strong, stronger than before. The wound had regenerated, and the energy that was in the Hollow flesh you had consumed prior was now yours. You felt yourself growing more powerful… but so too was the hunger.

It was time to feast.

You wandered the wastes for an hour, seeing dozens of Hollows, but none close enough to easily catch, or powerful enough to justify the chase. For miles around, you seemed to be the strongest living thing. That was fine with you… as long as you didn’t let yourself get complacent again, you would be the top link on the food chain.

The reward for your patience came, eventually, in the form of another Gillian. It was off in the distance, but it had spotted you, and it was well on its way to reaching you already. It was opening its maw wide, and a great black ball of energy formed where its teeth had separated. You smirked, confident this time, but not arrogant.

As the massive Hollow fired off the beam, you charged headfirst, one arm extended as you blocked the beam, then continued on toward the Hollow. You weren’t sure if the mindless mass of souls saw you coming or not, but you were quite sure that if it did, it was the last thing it ever saw, as you tore through its neck with the ease you would rend the wind itself.

~~~~

The Hollow’s body was filling. The souls it encompassed were many, enough to sate your hunger again… for the time. With no injuries to recover from to speak of this time, it would hopefully last you for quite some time… assuming that you didn’t find a stupid way to burn it off.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. The more you focused on it, the more you fed, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand.

You finished the last of the Hollow that you cared to, casting the flesh aside with a sickening “splat” sound as black blood sprayed across the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to truly quench your hunger…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 482**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 483**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 484**


	242. Chapter 242

You would hunt… one day. For now, injured, the humans were helpless prey. So long as you did not overstay your welcome, it would surely be nothing to avoid the Shinigami and claim a fresh meal.

You held out a hand, not quite sure of what you were doing, only certain that it was what you needed to do. A gargantuan black portal began to fade in out of thin air, a long tunnel that led to the human world. You eyed it with mild interest, before staring at your hand and contemplating the abilities that you seemed to have. You had seen them, on occasion, when your mind was still but a fragment of a larger whole, but you had never truly felt what it was like to use them. The power was… intoxicating.

You stepped through the portal and licked the mask covering your lips as you thought forward to the meals awaiting you on the other side.

~~~~

The human world was both familiar and foreign to you. You had never been to this town, at least as far as you could remember, but the civilization of humanity drew your eye. But you felt nothing for it; at least, not any more. What drew your eye now were the people. They walked through the streets, into and out of buildings, all while completely oblivious to your presence. You eyed them with distaste, trying to sense out a particular meal. The humans below you all looked unappetizing; you needed a soul. From your perch atop a light pole, you could see that this city was vast. Surely, there was at least one wandering soul somewhere, or a human with particularly high spiritual pressure. For a human, anyway.

Like a scent on the air, you thought for sure that you were heading in the right direction as you turned east and sidled down the street. You were hardly larger than these humans, but you still had to be somewhat careful to avoid them. They could not see you, but they certainly could feel you if you walked into them. You didn’t want to draw unintentional attention… the Shinigami could arrive at any moment. You needed to be quick.

Your stealth and care paid off when you turned into a side street, guided by the faintest of senses in the back of your head. A growl rumbled up from your throat as you set eyes on a spirit, standing and looking sad at the opposite corner. Her eyes rose to you, and then widened in fear. She screamed and began sprinting away, dashing into and through several nearby humans.

Compared to you, she may as well have been crawling. Even with your injuries, in only three steps you were atop her, with your claws sinking deep into the ethereal flesh of your prey.

~~~~

Back in Hueco Mundo, you felt your strength increasing. Having fed had helped your injuries to begin recovering that much quicker; it seemed that human meals were impressively superior to Hollows. Perhaps it was the purity of their souls. Whatever the case was, you knew that you were back in prime condition, healed and strong enough that no Hollow would be able to challenge you, at least no Gillian like the last one.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. The more you focused on it, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to test your luck with the Shinigami…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 485**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 486**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 487**


	243. Chapter 243

Hollows would hopefully prove to be nothing more than an easy meal. As an… Adjuchas, that was the word, though you weren’t certain how you knew it, you felt sure you could take anything that dared cross your path.

That confidence ringing in your head, you set out to find prey, mind wandering but senses alert. You could almost feel the desert around you, the void that indicated there was nothing to be found for miles. But you had all the time in the world, and little else to do except feed.

The thought that you would find anything at all was slipping away from you when you finally noticed another presence. It was not through sight or sound, but rather the sudden light that seemed to flare up in your mind over the next hill. You lumbered toward it at the same slow pace, not bothering to rush. Your prey had not yet moved, and would not escape you.

When you crested the hill it came into sight, a tall and thin figure with a rounded head. A huge, expressionless mask covered most of its top with a nose that jutted out several yards. It turned as it spotted you and let loose a howl that shook the sands. You barely paused as you continued your leisurely pace.

A Gillian. You didn’t know for certain where the word had come from, but you knew its name, and that it was no match for you. You didn’t need to move toward it any longer; now that it had spotted you the Hollow was surging forward, mouth opening as it lunged toward you.

You put one hand up and gripped the underside of the Hollow’s mask, stopping it instantly. You were pushed back slightly by the force, but as soon as you dug your heels into the sand you regained traction. Curling your fingers into a tight fist you slammed your arm against the Hollow and sent it flying across the sands, a massive crack appearing in its mask.

Shaking your head at the futility of the beast’s efforts, you began to walk forward as your prey cried out in terror.

Or, so you thought.

The Hollow uncurled its neck and revealed a glowing black ball of energy. Your mind flashed another name – but you had no time to comprehend it, as the black mass fired forth and impacted on your chest.

You felt it batter your chest, but your strength was vastly superior to the beast’s. The attack dissipated shortly after hitting you, leaving your chest smoking but little else to indicate you’d been harmed save for a few burns and scratch marks. That did not mean you were without anger at the beast for daring to harm you.

Angered, you felt your mouth open in a scream of rage, impaling your arm through the carapace of the Gillian, ripping downward and tearing the Hollow from mask to ground. It let out one long squeal of pain and fell over.

As you stepped atop the prone corpse and dug your hands in, you pulled free a dark chunk of Hollow flesh. You gave it a toss and began to feast on your conquest.

~~~~~

You were nursing minor scratches, unwounded except for your pride, but still unhappy that you’d been caught so off guard. You had consumed almost every bit of it – you still weren’t sure how. You felt stronger, as if all the souls and pieces of that Hollow had become part of you instantly. Next time you would not allow yourself to be so off-guard because of the weakness of your foe.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. The more you focused on it, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to truly quench your hunger…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 488**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 489**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 490**


	244. Chapter 244

The humans were still available, and easy prey… and their souls were the most alluring, by far. With the literal wave of a hand, another black hole opened up, and you were rushing through the pathways between worlds, feeling the energy rising through your body… but not your own.

As you tore through into the human world, a strange sense washed over you. You turned your head, back and forth, wondering where it was coming from, not quite able to pinpoint the source of your feeling.

You wandered the streets, the barren and empty nighttime of the human world. You could not find what you were looking for; you wanted this power, whatever source of energy was tingling the edges of your mind.

And, it seemed, the power was coming directly to you.

It was visible after only a few minutes of travel, as a distinct black blur, leaping on high from a building above you. The silvery glitter and the motion that it made gave it away, if the black cloak and its superhuman leap had not already.

_”Shinigami.”_

As the words echoed through your mind, you threw yourself to the side, shoulder-checking a building and collapsing the wall of its second story. The screams and echoing shouts of humans occupying the building filled the air, but you paid them no mind. Instead you turned to the Shinigami, the brown-haired, sandal-footed warrior hefting his sword back up after he’d shattered a large portion of the street with it.

“Shit, it’s an Adjuchas!”

You focused in on the man, blood-red rage running through you at the mere sight of a Shinigami. His soul, you thought, would be the tastiest of all.

With a wild roar, you lunged toward him.

~~~~

Your mind was ablaze. You’d never felt stronger, not in any life, much less this one. His essence had fueled you, charged you, set your very being to the height of ecstasy. You felt magnificent, and you were sure that you were strong enough to hunt anything now.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that you weren’t injured and could focus on something other than the hunger that you noticed it, or perhaps it was all the extra strength. It started at the back of your mind, a tingling sensation like an itch you felt a thousand miles away. It was as the Shinigami had been; a vague presence in your mind that drew your attention to it. The more you focused on it, the more you could feel it, until it was like a great pressure being exerted far to the east, so strong that even from as far away as it felt, it was threatening to knock you over into the sand. Your eyes turned east, to where the power source came from...

There was little to be gained by staying around here, at least as far as you were aware. These Hollows were easy prey, and in time you knew they would grow to be little more than fodder, so weak in comparison to you you’d scarcely be able to gain anything from devouring them. The power off to the east, however, promised stronger meals… and much greater risk.

You could travel in that direction and begin to hunt for stronger prey, or you could always stay around here, at least for a while, and fetch something stronger. Then again, there was always the human world, if you wanted to test your luck, and perhaps find another Shinigami…

**Hunt for Hollows: Go to Chapter 491**

**Prey upon the Humans: Go to Chapter 492**

**Travel toward the source: Go to Chapter 493**


	245. Chapter 245

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; I won’t be going easy on you, this time.”

Was he going easy on you before? You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, and your own to match it, the blades both pressing against the nape of your neck.

“Well, that was only six, but I think I’ve won, don’t you?”

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. Perhaps you’re not as hopeless as we first thought after all!”

He smiled like that was the greatest compliment he could’ve paid you. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 494**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 495**


	246. Chapter 246

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Well, suit yourself. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around.”

She rolled her eyes and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and relaxing, staring off into the ceiling. You couldn’t quite tell whether he was asleep or not, considering you could barely see his eyes even when he was awake.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 496**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 497**


	247. Chapter 247

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; I won’t be going easy on you, this time.”

Was he going easy on you before? You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, while simultaneously offering you the hilt of your own.

“Well? That was only six, as I recall.”

You took the hilt and leapt upward, cutting down as fast as you could do without feeling guilty about trying to take advantage of him. It didn’t seem to make much difference; he parried the first blow, the second, and then threw an elbow into your abdomen before you could launch a third. While you were bent over he dashed you across the back three more times, finishing the match.

“No hesitation at all. Impressive,” Gin muttered, seemingly more to himself than to anyone else.

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. Perhaps you’re not as hopeless as we first thought after all!”

He smiled like that was the greatest compliment he could’ve paid you. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 498**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 499**


	248. Chapter 248

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Well, suit yourself. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around.”

She rolled her eyes and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and relaxing, staring off into the ceiling. You couldn’t quite tell whether he was asleep or not, considering you could barely see his eyes even when he was awake.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

Gin caught your eye before you could give her a response though. From behind his back, he pulled both wooden swords, twirling them quickly, without saying a word. It seemed fairly clear he was inviting you to stay with him.

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 500**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 501**


	249. Chapter 249

“Wh-what? No, I can’t fight anyone-“

The bald man stared, jaw gaping, for a few seconds. Then he pointed the blade directly at you once again and began shouting at you even louder than before.

“WHAT?! I was usin’ you as a friggin’ example, kid, don’t get all scaredy-cat on me! What the hell are you kids made out of these days, cream puffs and rainbows?! I’m gonna kick your ass, just to toughen you up a little!”

“Ikkaku, hold on now, no need to go-“

The friend that had been standing behind him fairly passively suddenly held him back, apparently at least willing to stop him from beating the hell out of a child, an act you were certain he was more than capable (and willing) to accomplish.

“No! These kids don’t know anything about being tough, about surviving, and I’m gonna be the one to beat it into their little-“

“Yes, yes, come along now…” The other man said, trailing off as he proceeded to drag the bald-headed and incredibly aggressive man around the nearest corner.

You stood there dumbfounded for a little bit, along with several others, before people finally began to spread out as the last shouts of the man faded away. You weren’t that surprised; it had been exciting and new, but life in the Rukongai always returned to normal after a while.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. The sun was already passing overhead, by the time you’d tracked these people down and witnessed the shenanigans you’d just been a part of. Well, so much for finding anything out here.

You continued to search, but after a time you were eventually forced to realize that there just wasn’t a whole lot going on today. When you finally returned the afternoon was growing later, and in just a few hours you knew the sun would be setting.

The information gathering mission hadn’t been a rousing success, but you still had some time left in the day. If you couldn’t prepare mentally for the exams, you could always try to do it physically. Or, failing that, you could also simply enjoy your last day. The Rukongai may not have been much, but it was your home. Walking around the neighborhood and checking out the sights one last time before you took your examinations wasn’t necessarily a bad way to spend your last day.

**Train for a few hours: Go to Chapter 502**

**Enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 503**


	250. Chapter 250

“Y-yeah! I can take you on too, any time!” You shouted back, confidence in your voice far exceeding what you probably actually had. Still, you were in it now, so as you shook your fist at the sword-wielding bald man, you made sure not to let any nervousness show – as best as you could, anyway.

"Now that's more like it!" The bald man shouted, pointing the blade at you with a sudden grin. "Yumichika, give him a sword!"

"You're not really planning on fighting him, are you? Even for you, that's just desperate."

"Shut up! And you, take your best shot."

Yumichika threw his blade to you. It stuck in the ground a few inches in front of you, and you hesitantly reached out to pull it free. Perhaps afraid of being unable to and looking foolish you have a firm pull that sent you backward a few inches, but no one laughed. The crowd was deadly silent.

 _"I'm in too deep to back out..."_ You thought, unwilling to give up pride to prevent pain. With a loud battlecry, you rushed at the bald warrior and slashed with the heavy blade. You weren't exactly an expert, but even you could feel how clumsy the metal blade felt in your hand.

But despite that, you managed to connect! Your blade hit him dead in his right shoulder... and stopped dead.

He gave a grunt, but it sounded more like an agitated one than pained. Then you were on the ground, backhanded by the man without a second thought. The crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn’t used the blade on you; you were rather relieved as well, but the pain in your head made it a little hard to focus.

“Don’t you kids train anymore?!” Ikkaku shouted at you, lifting you off the ground by one of your arms.

“I, we-“

“You’re coming with us!”

The bald man continued to carry you by the arm, your feet several inches above the ground. His raven-haired friend had been amusedly exasperated with his actions before, but now he seemed downright shocked and quite flustered.

“Ikkaku! It’s one thing to kill a few people, but now we’re kidnapping children as well?”

Ikkaku grunted. “This kid’s got more guts than any of them, but he’s about as threatening as a rabbit! We’re training him, you ain’t got anything better to do than moan anyway.”

“Well, I never!”

The two of them continued bickering like that for a few moments, while you stared at the ground passing under your feet in shock. No one from the crowd was coming after you; you were going to have to act on your own. What could you do, though? He had a hell of a grip on you, after all…

**Struggle, fight back against him: Go to Chapter 504**

**Just go along with it: Go to Chapter 505**


	251. Chapter 251

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. You wanted to be strong – strong enough to rival that strange boy you’d met earlier. For now, though, you’d settle for being able to enter the Academy at all.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 506**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 507**


	252. Chapter 252

You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back. Well, maybe not quite that far. Your body was already sore enough; no point in making it worse.

Unfortunately, what few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventieth district and beyond, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 508**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 509**


	253. Chapter 253

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; I won’t be going easy on you, this time.”

Was he going easy on you before? You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, and your own to match it, the blades both pressing against the nape of your neck.

“Well, that was only six, but I think I’ve won, don’t you?”

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. You continue to surprise!” Gin seemed like he was complimenting you, but there was something in his eyes… something hidden, something that made you feel like he was measuring you up. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 510**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 511**


	254. Chapter 254

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Hm, how disappointing. And here I thought you were just reckless enough to be fun. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around.”

She rolled her eyes and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and relaxing, staring off into the ceiling. You couldn’t quite tell whether he was asleep or not, considering you could barely see his eyes even when he was awake.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 512**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 513**


	255. Chapter 255

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; I won’t be going easy on you, this time.”

Was he going easy on you before? You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, and your own to match it, the blades both pressing against the nape of your neck.

“Well, that was only six, but I think I’ve won, don’t you?”

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. You continue to surprise!” Gin seemed like he was complimenting you, but there was something in his eyes… something hidden, something that made you feel like he was measuring you up. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 514**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 515**


	256. Chapter 256

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Hm, how disappointing. And here I thought you were just reckless enough to be fun. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around. Besides, you’re pretty fun to talk to, you know that?”

She nodded as if to herself and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and relaxing, staring off into the ceiling. You couldn’t quite tell whether he was asleep or not, considering you could barely see his eyes even when he was awake.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 516**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 517**


	257. Chapter 257

“Wh-what? No, I can’t fight anyone-“

The bald man stared, jaw gaping, for a few seconds. Then he pointed the blade directly at you once again and began shouting at you even louder than before.

“WHAT?! I was usin’ you as a friggin’ example, kid, don’t get all scaredy-cat on me! What the hell are you kids made out of these days, cream puffs and rainbows?! I’m gonna kick your ass, just to toughen you up a little!”

“Ikkaku, hold on now, no need to go-“

The friend that had been standing behind him fairly passively suddenly held him back, apparently at least willing to stop him from beating the hell out of a child, an act you were certain he was more than capable (and willing) to accomplish.

“No! These kids don’t know anything about being tough, about surviving, and I’m gonna be the one to beat it into their little-“

“Yes, yes, come along now…” The other man said, trailing off as he proceeded to drag the bald-headed and incredibly aggressive man around the nearest corner.

You stood there dumbfounded for a little bit, along with several others, before people finally began to spread out as the last shouts of the man faded away. You weren’t that surprised; it had been exciting and new, but life in the Rukongai always returned to normal after a while.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. The sun was already passing overhead, by the time you’d tracked these people down and witnessed the shenanigans you’d just been a part of. Well, so much for finding anything out here.

You continued to search, but after a time you were eventually forced to realize that there just wasn’t a whole lot going on today. When you finally returned the afternoon was growing later, and in just a few hours you knew the sun would be setting.

The information gathering mission hadn’t been a rousing success, but you still had some time left in the day. If you couldn’t prepare mentally for the exams, you could always try to do it physically. Or, failing that, you could also simply enjoy your last day. The Rukongai may not have been much, but it was your home. Walking around the neighborhood and checking out the sights one last time before you took your examinations wasn’t necessarily a bad way to spend your last day.

**Train for a few hours: Go to Chapter 518**

**Enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 519**


	258. Chapter 258

“Y-yeah! I can take you on too, any time!” You shouted back, confidence in your voice far exceeding what you probably actually had. Still, you were in it now, so as you shook your fist at the sword-wielding bald man, you made sure not to let any nervousness show – as best as you could, anyway.

"Now that's more like it!" The bald man shouted, pointing the blade at you with a sudden grin. "Yumichika, give him a sword!"

"You're not really planning on fighting him, are you? Even for you, that's just desperate."

"Shut up! And you, take your best shot."

Yumichika threw his blade to you. It stuck in the ground a few inches in front of you, and you hesitantly reached out to pull it free. Perhaps afraid of being unable to and looking foolish you have a firm pull that sent you backward a few inches, but no one laughed. The crowd was deadly silent.

 _"I'm in too deep to back out..."_ You thought, unwilling to give up pride to prevent pain. With a loud battlecry, you rushed at the bald warrior and slashed with the heavy blade. You weren't exactly an expert, but even you could feel how clumsy the metal blade felt in your hand.

But despite that, you managed to connect! Your blade hit him dead in his right shoulder... and stopped dead.

He gave a grunt, but it sounded more like an agitated one than pained. Then you were on the ground, backhanded by the man without a second thought. The crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn’t used the blade on you; you were rather relieved as well, but the pain in your head made it a little hard to focus.

“Don’t you kids train anymore?!” Ikkaku shouted at you, lifting you off the ground by one of your arms.

“I, we-“

“You’re coming with us!”

The bald man continued to carry you by the arm, your feet several inches above the ground. His raven-haired friend had been amusedly exasperated with his actions before, but now he seemed downright shocked and quite flustered.

“Ikkaku! It’s one thing to kill a few people, but now we’re kidnapping children as well?”

Ikkaku grunted. “This kid’s got more guts than any of them, but he’s about as threatening as a rabbit! We’re training him, you ain’t got anything better to do than moan anyway.”

“Well, I never!”

The two of them continued bickering like that for a few moments, while you stared at the ground passing under your feet in shock. No one from the crowd was coming after you; you were going to have to act on your own. What could you do, though? He had a hell of a grip on you, after all…

**Struggle, fight back against him: Go to Chapter 520**

**Just go along with it: Go to Chapter 521**


	259. Chapter 259

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. You wanted to be strong – strong enough to rival that strange boy you’d met earlier. For now, though, you’d settle for being able to enter the Academy at all.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 522**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 523**


	260. Chapter 260

You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back. Well, maybe not quite that far. Your body was already sore enough; no point in making it worse.

Unfortunately, what few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventieth district and beyond, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 524**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 525**


	261. Chapter 261

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; if you aren’t dedicated, you’ll fail immediately.”

That didn’t inspire much confidence. Especially given earlier. You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, and your own to match it, the blades both pressing against the nape of your neck.

“Well, that was only six, but I think I’ve won, don’t you?”

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. Especially for one uncertain if he even wants to wield the blade at all! You died much later than I thought you would.”

He smiled like that was the greatest compliment he could’ve paid you. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 526**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 527**


	262. Chapter 262

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Well, suit yourself. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.”

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Though, he doesn’t seem very fond of you,” she mused. You weren’t certain how she could tell, given his stoic demeanor, but she probably read him a lot more easily than you. “Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around.”

She rolled her eyes and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and relaxing, staring off into the ceiling. You couldn’t quite tell whether he was asleep or not, considering you could barely see his eyes even when he was awake.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Some of us take our future seriously.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

Gin caught your eye before you could give her a response though. From behind his back, he pulled both wooden swords, twirling them quickly, without saying a word. It seemed fairly clear he was inviting you to stay with him.

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 528**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 529**


	263. Chapter 263

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; I won’t be going easy on you, this time.”

Was he going easy on you before? You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, and your own to match it, the blades both pressing against the nape of your neck.

“Well, that was only six, but I think I’ve won, don’t you?”

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. You didn’t even know what you wanted to do with your life, and already you’re acting more and more like a Shinigami!” Gin seemed like he was complimenting you, but there was something in his eyes… something hidden, something that made you feel like he was measuring you up. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams.”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 530**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 531**


	264. Chapter 264

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Well, suit yourself. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.”

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Though, he doesn’t seem very fond of you,” she mused. You weren’t certain how she could tell, given his stoic demeanor, but she probably read him a lot more easily than you. “Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around.”

She rolled her eyes and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and relaxing, staring off into the ceiling. You couldn’t quite tell whether he was asleep or not, considering you could barely see his eyes even when he was awake.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams, I figured it’d be more polite to wait for you to wake up, but I guess my dilemma was solved!”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Some of us take our future seriously.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

Gin caught your eye before you could give her a response though. From behind his back, he pulled both wooden swords, twirling them quickly, without saying a word. It seemed fairly clear he was inviting you to stay with him.

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 532**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 533**


	265. Chapter 265

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; I won’t be going easy on you, this time.”

Was he going easy on you before? You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, and your own to match it, the blades both pressing against the nape of your neck.

“Well, that was only six, but I think I’ve won, don’t you?”

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. You didn’t even know what you wanted to do with your life, and already you’re acting more and more like a Shinigami!” Gin seemed like he was complimenting you, but there was something in his eyes… something hidden, something that made you feel like he was measuring you up. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams. Figured I’d ask if you wanted company for _this_ walk, unless you’re _always_ the lone wanderer,” she teased while sticking her tongue out.

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 534**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 535**


	266. Chapter 266

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Well, suit yourself. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.”

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Though, he doesn’t seem very fond of you,” she mused. You weren’t certain how she could tell, given his stoic demeanor, but she probably read him a lot more easily than you. “Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around.”

She rolled her eyes and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, good! You woke up just in time!”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku put a hand on your shoulder and smiled into your eyes.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams. Figured I’d ask if you wanted company for _this_ walk, unless you’re _always_ the lone wanderer,” she teased while sticking her tongue out.

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Some of us take our training quite seriously.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 536**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 537**


	267. Chapter 267

“I’ll do it,” you said bravely, putting on the most confident act that you could.

Gin’s eyes opened – a fraction of an inch, not enough to really show much, but enough to surprise you. He replaced the façade a moment later, before offering up a warning.

“Do be careful, now; I won’t be going easy on you, this time.”

Was he going easy on you before? You’d been trying your best to defend yourself and he’d still broken through your guard faster than he’d broken a sweat. But that didn’t mean you were going to back down; you were hungry as hell and already in pain. No harm in making it a bit worse, right?

You raised up your sword and faced off against him with conviction. He simply flourished his blade once, and then his usual smirk grew even wider.

“Ready? Let’s start, then.”

Your head exploded in pain as you reeled back from the force of a blow you scarcely saw, much less had time to dodge. Gin held the wooden sword in the same pose he’d held only a moment earlier, with his feet shifted slightly to the right as the only indicator that he’d moved at all.

“That’s one for me.”

That taunt dispelled your doubts about two things. One, there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to win this fight – either he’d been holding back earlier or you were more tired than you thought.

Two, you were going to make him pay.

You lunged forward, pointed wooden blade piercing toward his abdomen. He dodged right and countered with a double hitter, slapping one side of your arm and then the other. It seemed like one motion, as though rather than tapping both sides he’d simply cleaved through your arm. You grunted through the pain, grip loosening. You switched the blade to your left hand in a desperate maneuver and brought it downward, aiming for the top of his head.

Gin was not to be caught off guard by such a reckless move. He parried, swatting your blade into the nearby wall where it clattered to the floor. In an instant he delivered three more blows, two to your left shoulder and one to your abdomen so hard that the blunt edge of the blade caused you to exhale, losing your breath for several seconds.

When you looked back up, Gin held his blade at your throat, and your own to match it, the blades both pressing against the nape of your neck.

“Well, that was only six, but I think I’ve won, don’t you?”

You just sighed in resignation. So much for that plan. Not only did you not earn yourself any of the delicious food, but you’d gotten yourself even more beaten up and bruised than you had been to begin with. You were really not looking forward to taking the examinations with the pain you were likely to be in tomorrow.

Something thumped against your head. Then another. You thought Gin might be trying to get you to continue the match after all at first, then you looked down and saw persimmons hitting the ground one after the other after they bounced off of your head.

“Come on then, surely you’ll start catching these eventually?”

You looked over at Gin and fumbled to catch yet another one of the fruits, barely keeping it from hitting the floor. Gin continued to throw them at you, giving you little time to react besides to catch them. Rangiku covered her mouth to hide her giggles as you wound up with about a third of the remaining persimmons in your arms.

“I… I lost, though?” You asked, as though uncertain of your defeat now.

“You didn’t really have much of a chance to begin with, though,” Rangiku said with another laugh. “Gin really is amazing like that.”

“I must admit, I’m impressed you stood your ground like that. You didn’t even know what you wanted to do with your life, and already you’re acting more and more like a Shinigami!” Gin seemed like he was complimenting you, but there was something in his eyes… something hidden, something that made you feel like he was measuring you up. You just sighed and shook your head, as all three of you began to dig into the persimmons.

It was fantastic; the fruits were practically a delicacy for you, and they were borderline perfection as you dug into them. For several minutes there was very little in the way of conversation as all of you allowed your tired and battered bodies to rest and recover with the fruit. By the time the meal had finished and you’d all rested enough to really get into the mood for conversation, the sun was beginning its descent and the evening was well underway.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” Gin asked calmly. “It’s not like we have to worry about you hurting us, obviously!”

“Really, Gin?” You asked, sounding even more defeated than you had been. “The first thing you say to me, and it’s that?”

“Hmmm hmm, you can really tell you don’t know him much yet,” Rangiku said, unable to hold back her laughter now.

“Hey, I thought you were on my side?” You asked, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said with another round of laughter.

“So, is that a yes? Or a no? Afraid I’m confused.”

You turned back toward Gin and thought about it…

“Well, why not?” You shrugged a little. “Can’t hurt.”

“Oh, it can. But it won’t. Probably.”

“Getting real tired of that already, Gin.”

Rangiku just laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning game bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, hey, you’re awake.”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku glanced over at you from the doorway.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams.”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Wouldn’t want the competition to get the edge on me.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 538**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 539**


	268. Chapter 268

“I… think I’ll pass. I’m all for training, but I can’t win that fight, no point in making my wounds worse.”

Gin just shrugged, though you saw the edges of his face touch downwards. “Well, suit yourself. Rangiku, care to dig in?”

“Absolutely,” she said with a smile, heartily beginning to devour the persimmons that Gin had divided out for her.

You watched, a little put off by the fact that you had nothing to do while they stuffed their faces other than feel the effects of the silence that was only awkward for you. You weren’t that hungry, thankfully. The persimmons from yesterday were not insignificant, and you were used to eating every couple of days.

After a few more minutes Gin finished the last of his persimmons, eating quite a bit faster than Rangiku had. He stood up and brushed his hands off, throwing a look between the two of you.

“There’s time enough left in the day. I think I’ll take a walk, see what I can stir up,” Gin said. A moment later he was gone, leaving you uncertain as to how fast he’d managed to turn that corner.

Rangiku just rolled her eyes. Suddenly you were fumbling to catch the persimmon she hurled at your head. You stared first at the fruit and then at her, as you watched her take another bite of her own.

She took her sweet time with chewing up and finishing the bite to eat that she had, before rolling her eyes at you. “Are you going to sit there gawking all day, or are you going to eat?”

“I don’t get it. What are you-“

“Oh relax already! You’re succcch a buzzkill,” Rangiku said, letting her head fall back onto the wall dramatically. “Gin knew we had more food than the two of us could eat. He just stuffed himself to keep you from figuring that out. Must have wanted to stick to his promise about only letting you have some if you won. I have a figure to watch out for, so none of that for me. Just eat, he’ll be gone for hours, knowing him.”

You didn’t question it, much. You simply dug in and began to enjoy the fruit. Over the next few minutes Rangiku continued to devour hers steadily, while you savored the one she’d tossed to you. Surprisingly she ended up throwing three or four your way in total, while you both casually devoured the food.

Eventually Rangiku finished hers, and while you were still nibbling at the last piece you’d been given, she turned to you with her eyes focused.

“So, since you’ve come all the way out here, why not spend the night?” She grinned, in a much nicer way than Gin did. “It’ll be nice to have someone around to help me keep Gin calm.”

“I suppose that makes sense. But what _about_ Gin? Mightn’t he be mad if he comes back to find us both sleeping here? You said he might not be back for hours,” you cautioned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows you’re a decent person, or else he never would’ve let you be here in the first place! Though, he doesn’t seem very fond of you,” she mused. You weren’t certain how she could tell, given his stoic demeanor, but she probably read him a lot more easily than you. “Believe me, he’s _very_ insistent, especially when it comes to training. That’s kind of why I want you around.”

She rolled her eyes and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

You looked around for a minute before simply shrugging. “Alright, if you say so. If I wake up with a sword in my face, I blame you though.”

Rangiku laughed, and the two of you continued to talk until the sun had faded off into the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning came bright and early. When you uncurled from the floor, you saw two things that caught your attention – the morning sun that was peaking over the horizon in almost the perfect way to shine into your sleeping eyes, and Gin, sitting in the corner and staring at you as if he’d never even gone to sleep.

You just shrugged it off, not too worried about it. He was a little off, that much you were certain of, and you couldn’t begin to get a reading on whether he even liked you or not, but at least you were mostly friendly with both of them. Speaking of the other half of the duo, where was –

“Oh, hey, you’re awake.”

The answer to your question came from behind you as Rangiku glanced over at you from the doorway.

“In time for what?” You asked, a little hesitantly.

“Hah, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I was just about to leave for the exams.”

“You aren’t leaving?” Gin moved at your words, which you were thankful for. The way Rangiku wasn’t keeping her voice down you’d assumed he wasn’t really asleep, but you weren’t entirely certain until he moved.

“I’m staying here to train a little more, before the examinations… can’t be too careful, after all. Some of us take our training quite seriously.” His voice was level, but his gaze – you thought – was focused on you, and that made you wonder what he was implying.

“Gin’s always over-preparing. Come on, let’s go before they start pulling trainees in!”

You looked between the two, and found yourself wondering what to do…

**Go with Rangiku to the exams: Go to Chapter 540**

**Stay and ask if Gin will train with you: Go to Chapter 541**


	269. Chapter 269

“Wh-what? No, I can’t fight anyone-“

The bald man stared, jaw gaping, for a few seconds. Then he pointed the blade directly at you once again and began shouting at you even louder than before.

“WHAT?! I was usin’ you as a friggin’ example, kid, don’t get all scaredy-cat on me! What the hell are you kids made out of these days, cream puffs and rainbows?! I’m gonna kick your ass, just to toughen you up a little!”

“Ikkaku, hold on now, no need to go-“

The friend that had been standing behind him fairly passively suddenly held him back, apparently at least willing to stop him from beating the hell out of a child, an act you were certain he was more than capable (and willing) to accomplish.

“No! These kids don’t know anything about being tough, about surviving, and I’m gonna be the one to beat it into their little-“

“Yes, yes, come along now…” The other man said, trailing off as he proceeded to drag the bald-headed and incredibly aggressive man around the nearest corner.

You stood there dumbfounded for a little bit, along with several others, before people finally began to spread out as the last shouts of the man faded away. You weren’t that surprised; it had been exciting and new, but life in the Rukongai always returned to normal after a while.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. The sun was already passing overhead, by the time you’d tracked these people down and witnessed the shenanigans you’d just been a part of. Well, so much for finding anything out here.

You continued to search, but after a time you were eventually forced to realize that there just wasn’t a whole lot going on today. When you finally returned the afternoon was growing later, and in just a few hours you knew the sun would be setting.

The information gathering mission hadn’t been a rousing success, but you still had some time left in the day. If you couldn’t prepare mentally for the exams, you could always try to do it physically. The bald man had a point; you should probably start standing up for your abilities at some point. Or, failing that, you could also simply enjoy your last day. The Rukongai may not have been much, but it was your home. Walking around the neighborhood and checking out the sights one last time before you took your examinations wasn’t necessarily a bad way to spend your last day.

**Train for a few hours: Go to Chapter 542**

**Enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 543**


	270. Chapter 270

“Y-yeah! I can take you on too, any time!” You shouted back, confidence in your voice far exceeding what you probably actually had. Still, you were in it now, so as you shook your fist at the sword-wielding bald man, you made sure not to let any nervousness show – as best as you could, anyway.

"Now that's more like it!" The bald man shouted, pointing the blade at you with a sudden grin. "Yumichika, give him a sword!"

"You're not really planning on fighting him, are you? Even for you, that's just desperate."

"Shut up! And you, take your best shot."

Yumichika threw his blade to you. It stuck in the ground a few inches in front of you, and you hesitantly reached out to pull it free. Perhaps afraid of being unable to and looking foolish you have a firm pull that sent you backward a few inches, but no one laughed. The crowd was deadly silent.

 _"I'm in too deep to back out..."_ You thought, unwilling to give up pride to prevent pain. With a loud battlecry, you rushed at the bald warrior and slashed with the heavy blade. You weren't exactly an expert, but even you could feel how clumsy the metal blade felt in your hand.

But despite that, you managed to connect! Your blade hit him dead in his right shoulder... and stopped dead.

He gave a grunt, but it sounded more like an agitated one than pained. Then you were on the ground, backhanded by the man without a second thought. The crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn’t used the blade on you; you were rather relieved as well, but the pain in your head made it a little hard to focus.

“Don’t you kids train anymore?!” Ikkaku shouted at you, lifting you off the ground by one of your arms.

“I, we-“

“You’re coming with us!”

The bald man continued to carry you by the arm, your feet several inches above the ground. His raven-haired friend had been amusedly exasperated with his actions before, but now he seemed downright shocked and quite flustered.

“Ikkaku! It’s one thing to kill a few people, but now we’re kidnapping children as well?”

Ikkaku grunted. “This kid’s got more guts than any of them, but he’s about as threatening as a rabbit! We’re training him, you ain’t got anything better to do than moan anyway.”

“Well, I never!”

The two of them continued bickering like that for a few moments, while you stared at the ground passing under your feet in shock. No one from the crowd was coming after you; you were going to have to act on your own. What could you do, though? He had a hell of a grip on you, after all…

**Struggle, fight back against him: Go to Chapter 544**

**Just go along with it: Go to Chapter 545**


	271. Chapter 271

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. You wanted to be strong – strong enough to rival that strange boy you’d met earlier. For now, though, you’d settle for being able to enter the Academy at all. You’d chosen to go this alone, and if you could do it, all the better, but it was going to be a rough road.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 546**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 547**


	272. Chapter 272

You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back. Well, maybe not quite that far. Your body was already sore enough; no point in making it worse.

Unfortunately, what few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here. Though, that boy still set you off a bit…

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventieth district and beyond, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 548**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 549**


	273. Chapter 273

“Wh-what? No, I can’t fight anyone-“

The bald man stared, jaw gaping, for a few seconds. Then he pointed the blade directly at you once again and began shouting at you even louder than before.

“WHAT?! I was usin’ you as a friggin’ example, kid, don’t get all scaredy-cat on me! What the hell are you kids made out of these days, cream puffs and rainbows?! I’m gonna kick your ass, just to toughen you up a little!”

“Ikkaku, hold on now, no need to go-“

The friend that had been standing behind him fairly passively suddenly held him back, apparently at least willing to stop him from beating the hell out of a child, an act you were certain he was more than capable (and willing) to accomplish.

“No! These kids don’t know anything about being tough, about surviving, and I’m gonna be the one to beat it into their little-“

“Yes, yes, come along now…” The other man said, trailing off as he proceeded to drag the bald-headed and incredibly aggressive man around the nearest corner.

You stood there dumbfounded for a little bit, along with several others, before people finally began to spread out as the last shouts of the man faded away. You weren’t that surprised; it had been exciting and new, but life in the Rukongai always returned to normal after a while.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. The sun was already passing overhead, by the time you’d tracked these people down and witnessed the shenanigans you’d just been a part of. Well, so much for finding anything out here.

You continued to search, but after a time you were eventually forced to realize that there just wasn’t a whole lot going on today. When you finally returned the afternoon was growing later, and in just a few hours you knew the sun would be setting.

The information gathering mission hadn’t been a rousing success, but you still had some time left in the day. If you couldn’t prepare mentally for the exams, you could always try to do it physically. The bald man had a point; you should probably start standing up for your abilities at some point. Or, failing that, you could also simply enjoy your last day. The Rukongai may not have been much, but it was your home. Walking around the neighborhood and checking out the sights one last time before you took your examinations wasn’t necessarily a bad way to spend your last day.

**Train for a few hours: Go to Chapter 550**

**Enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 551**


	274. Chapter 274

“Y-yeah! I can take you on too, any time!” You shouted back, confidence in your voice far exceeding what you probably actually had. Still, you were in it now, so as you shook your fist at the sword-wielding bald man, you made sure not to let any nervousness show – as best as you could, anyway.

"Now that's more like it!" The bald man shouted, pointing the blade at you with a sudden grin. "Yumichika, give him a sword!"

"You're not really planning on fighting him, are you? Even for you, that's just desperate."

"Shut up! And you, take your best shot."

Yumichika threw his blade to you. It stuck in the ground a few inches in front of you, and you hesitantly reached out to pull it free. Perhaps afraid of being unable to and looking foolish you have a firm pull that sent you backward a few inches, but no one laughed. The crowd was deadly silent.

 _"I'm in too deep to back out..."_ You thought, unwilling to give up pride to prevent pain. With a loud battlecry, you rushed at the bald warrior and slashed with the heavy blade. You weren't exactly an expert, but even you could feel how clumsy the metal blade felt in your hand.

But despite that, you managed to connect! Your blade hit him dead in his right shoulder... and stopped dead.

He gave a grunt, but it sounded more like an agitated one than pained. Then you were on the ground, backhanded by the man without a second thought. The crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn’t used the blade on you; you were rather relieved as well, but the pain in your head made it a little hard to focus.

“Don’t you kids train anymore?!” Ikkaku shouted at you, lifting you off the ground by one of your arms.

“I, we-“

“You’re coming with us!”

The bald man continued to carry you by the arm, your feet several inches above the ground. His raven-haired friend had been amusedly exasperated with his actions before, but now he seemed downright shocked and quite flustered.

“Ikkaku! It’s one thing to kill a few people, but now we’re kidnapping children as well?”

Ikkaku grunted. “This kid’s got more guts than any of them, but he’s about as threatening as a rabbit! We’re training him, you ain’t got anything better to do than moan anyway.”

“Well, I never!”

The two of them continued bickering like that for a few moments, while you stared at the ground passing under your feet in shock. No one from the crowd was coming after you; you were going to have to act on your own. What could you do, though? He had a hell of a grip on you, after all…

**Struggle, fight back against him: Go to Chapter 552**

**Just go along with it: Go to Chapter 553**


	275. Chapter 275

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. You were pretty sure that there wasn’t much information out there that could make as much of a difference in your entrance exams as being physically stronger.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sure, you might’ve been getting a couple extra pounds of force, but that didn’t do you much good if you kept missing. So you started to slow it down, keep your strokes a bit more accurate. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. You wanted to be strong – strong enough to rival that strange boy you’d met earlier. For now, though, you’d settle for being able to enter the Academy at all. You’d chosen to go this alone, and if you could do it, all the better, but it was going to be a rough road.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 554**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 555**


	276. Chapter 276

You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back. Well, maybe not quite that far. Your body was already sore enough; no point in making it worse.

Unfortunately, what few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway. You rather wished that you had actually thought to ask the two you’d met yesterday for tips before saying goodbye, but you didn’t think they would know much anyway. They were just normal Rukongai citizens, or at least as close as anyone got to normal around here. Though, that boy still set you off a bit…

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventieth district and beyond, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 556**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 557**


	277. Chapter 277

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises with the blade, you saw some interest. The men did not seem overly impressed, but they did not stop watching, and occasionally one would lean closer to another to exchange a few brief words. You hoped that having Nanao show you the proper stance that they taught would impress them, as well as what little you could do. But eventually their eyes started to wander, and you sensed that you had reached the limit of how many times you could swing the sword and keep their attention.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were surprisingly adept. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but you found yourself lifting weights far closer to the heavy end of the available spectrum than you’d expected. You even ended up putting them back, and reaching for some heavier weights. One judge’s eyes outright widened as you reached down toward the lower rack and pulled upward, barely managing to lift them, but feeling so good from their reaction that you were able to force your muscles to cooperate a while longer, feeling the burn as the most pleasant of pains. You were filled with conviction that you would, in fact, be making it into the Academy.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. You had been expecting them to deliberate, either in another room or even in front of you, but to your surprise they only congregated their heads for a few moments before all three gave a simultaneous ruling.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced classes.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come. Not only had it come, but you were ahead of the game – by a mile.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home not only as a Shinigami, but as an advanced student, already ahead of the curve. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. Still… not everyone seems to be happy about your arrival, and somehow you feel as though they are keeping something from you. It is up to you whether you decide to pursue this knowledge, embrace your life as a Shinigami without question, or to find any other path. For now, you simply have to face your next challenge:**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 558**


	278. Chapter 278

“Rise and shine, sleepy. I thought you would’ve had plenty of sleep after passing out like that. Maybe I shouldn’t have let Nanao work you quite so hard!”

You leaned up, looking around a little as your eyes adjusted to the light. The Captain – Shunsui, that was his name – he was sitting beside your bed with a smile on his face. Memories started to flood back, and suddenly you remembered you had a vital appointment that day.

“Captain-“

“Ah, ah! Nanao’s nowhere to be seen!”

You gave a small nod and continued. “Shunsui, is it time to go?”

He nodded. “The exams start in an hour. A little training, and then we’ll be off.” 

Shunsui took your hand and led you to an area similar to the one that you had used to train with Nanao. You weren’t sure if it was the same or not – truthfully you’d only just barely begun to become accustomed to this place.

“Are we going to do exercise? Or more with the swords?” You asked.

“A bit of the former, none of the latter,” Shunsui said casually, striding to the other side of the arena. “I had something a little more fun in mind for today, and a little less likely to tire you out. Like, say…”

Shunsui vanished. You didn’t even see him move; it was like he’d ceased to exist, except that by the time you realized he was gone, he was there – standing in front of you with one finger planted quite firmly on your forehead.

“Tag, you’re it.”

You took a step back, staring at him in confusion. “Are you… really?”

He just smiled. “Come on, training doesn’t always have to be so boring! Try it, it’s fun!”

You reached out, trying to grip his sleeve. He pulled away, but barely faster than you reached – he was clearly not going to use the same kind of speed he’d approached you with, which at least meant this might be fair.

“Now, now, I’m not just going to _let_ you tag me. Give it a real try,” he said. You reached out again and felt your fingers brush cloth as you actually put some effort into it. You threw out another one and caught the edge of his leg.

He just smiled, and then reached for your head before your arm had even come back. It was slow, but you were so unprepared he tapped you right beside the ear with no challenge.

“Sorry, looks like you’re it again!” Shunsui danced a step or two away, and forced you to really come after him. You smiled, realizing perhaps he was right about it being fun sometimes.

In no time at all you were engrossed in the game, chasing after Shunsui with ardent fervor. You were swiping wildly to catch him, and dashing maniacally to avoid him when you did. It wasn’t until almost half an hour of the game that you realized he had you doing full-on sprints across the area to catch him, and you were crossing the courtyard – sometimes several times – whenever you struggled to avoid him. You were having so much fun you hadn’t realized just how intense the training actually was until he stopped you, putting a hand on your chest and motioning toward a nearby bench.

“That’s enough for now; wouldn’t want you to be _completely_ exhausted before the exams, now would we?”

You nodded, unable to speak from just how winded you really were. He’d clearly been pushing you just about as hard as he could, and you immediately made for the bench.

Somehow, in the time between you starting toward the bench and you actually planting yourself down upon it, Shunsui was there and with a wooden cup filled with water in his hand.

“Here, this should help.”

You nodded gratefully and downed the entire cup, already growing used to his incredible speeds. You had to admit, it was somewhat surprising; his laid back personality made you think that he wouldn’t bother doing such things, even if he could.

“You’ve got a lot of potential. Potential that could make others wary. I’m quite certain you’ve got what it takes to pass the entrance examinations, but you should be aware others might not be so… happy about it.”

“Like… Nanao?” You asked.

Shunsui put a hand to the back of his head and grinned in a way that wasn’t that happy. “Well, don’t mind her. Nanao is Nanao, and she’ll always be Nanao. She’s a little cold, but I’m sure if you stay off of her bad side you’ll find out she’s actually a very sturdy friend, and an excellent Shinigami. I shouldn’t put you off like that before the examinations, I suppose; don’t want you looking at everyone around you like an enemy. Just don’t take anyone disliking you personally. The Academy can be very… competitive.”

You nodded, then looked toward the sky. The sun was rising rapidly; in fact, it was already approaching the highest point in the sky!

“Captain Shunsui, are we-“

“Nanao already left!” He chimed in, very unhelpfully.

“Are we late?!”

He looked up toward the sky, hand on his chin thoughtfully.

“Now that you mention it, it is a little late, isn’t it? I suppose that’s my fault!” You sighed in defeat, putting your hands in your head as you realized he was disturbed by this to an absolute factor of zero. “Get a quick move on, and we’ll get you there before they even know you’re missing.”

Shunsui stood up and motioned for you to come with him. You stood from the bench and were off. Shunsui took your hand and pulled you after him, running so fast your feet scarcely touched the ground. He was certainly an impressive individual, that much was certain; but you’d expect no less and far, far more from a Captain in the Gotei 13.

Still, it seemed like only moments later that you were standing in front of a large building. You turned a questioning eye toward Shunsui, as if to ask if this was really where you were supposed to be.

“Go on in. They’ll already be waiting for you. Pass this test, and you’ll be accepted into Shino Academy. You’ll be a Shinigami in no time at all.”

You gave him a nod, then turned toward the building. Here, it seemed, was your judgment, on time or otherwise. Your day in the sun had finally arrived. One last test, and your life would be forever changed… for better, or for worse.

**Your Shinigami Academy Entrance Exam results: Go to Chapter 559**


	279. Chapter 279

“Come on, wake up. It’s time for us to go.”

You slowly leaned up, looking around and letting your eyes adjust to the soft light in the room. When you could see and think more properly, you recognized Nanao standing at the foot of your bed, looking down at you with a mixture of calm and yet impatience.

“R-right,” you said, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You were still in the clothes from last night, but considering that Nanao made no movement to leave, you guessed that you weren’t supposed to change out of it. To be fair, you’d only been wearing them for… twelve hours, maybe? You weren’t even sure how long you’d been asleep. The last thing you remembered was saying your goodbyes last night after meeting with both of them, and then passing out on the most comfortable bed you’d ever been able to call your own.

“We have just enough time to walk there at a pace you can manage,” she said. It sounded like an insult, or at least a thinly-veiled jab, but her voice was the same as always. It seemed more like she was simply stating a fact about you rather than trying to jab you. 

She at least kept to her word about going at a pace you could manage. You were walking fast, but only enough that you had to pay attention to not fall behind. It seemed like, in just a few minutes, you were at the building.

“Should we… go inside?” Your words were hesitant, as if uncertain of whether or not you even wanted to go in.

“Not yet. It’s still thirty minutes before the exams begin.”

You looked at her, awestruck. “But… you said that it was time, that we had just enough time to-“

“A Shinigami should always arrive early,” she said, pushing up her glasses, looking at you and for the first time cracking what seemed like just the barest hint of a smile. “I’m glad you decided to come with me. No doubt Captain Kyoraku would’ve had you here five minutes past due.”

You sighed, and prepared yourself for a long wait. The thirty minutes dragged by, but you did get some form of conversation out of Nanao, at least. Now that she was here it seemed like her mood had brightened significantly, and once she opened up, it seemed like those doors were opening for you far, far too quickly for your tastes. The crowd around you had grown by then, but Nanao was certain to be the first inside, with you tagging along just behind her.

You took a deep breath as you crossed the threshold, and prayed for the best.

**Your Shinigami Academy Entrance Exam results: Go to Chapter 560**


	280. Chapter 280

Normally, it would’ve been hard to wake up, even as the air thrummed with the vibrations of a thousand alarm clocks going off at the same time. Not today, though. Today you were wide awake several minutes before the alarms ever sounded; quite frankly, you thought that it was a miracle you had slept at all.

As you stood from the bed, you saw a bunch of other wide-eyed and wary students traipsing out. You were all concerned, uncertain as to what was happening. The only briefing that you had been given came briefly, in the form of only moderately-individualized letters, explaining to you all which class you were in (normal or advanced, from what little you’d gleaned from conversations), and advising you not to shower the next day. The warning had been something along the lines of “you’re just going to sweat yourself into stink anyway”, but phrased a little nicer. Not inspiring, but definitely enough to get the blood pumping.

You knew where you were to report to, and made your way down the halls quickly. You scanned the crowd, looking for any faces you might recognize, but you could find no one in the populace. Oh well. You hadn’t made friends with many people during your days in the Rukongai, and those that you had were many years ago. Maybe now you would make some new ones… or, perhaps you’d simply work yourself to the bone. Hard to tell; you hadn’t even been given a schedule yet, so you had no idea how hard the work was here.

The room you arrived in was empty, save for a man standing at the forefront. The students began to file in – at first you were worried the room wouldn’t hold them all, but they must have planned for class size, because you were shoved all the way to the front but just barely stopped before overrunning the man. He waited until a student had not entered for a solid minute or so.

“Welcome to the Shinigami Academy!”

He gave no warning with his introduction, which meant that everyone was still babbling to anyone they knew (or for the outgoing ones, anyone who didn’t shut them up). His voice left little room to hear almost anyone else, though. He almost seemed angry for how loud he was shouting, but he bore nothing worse than a stern smile.

“You have all been selected for Basic Classes thanks to your test scores! I’ve heard some of the whispers getting around, and let me leave no room for mistake – all of you will one day become Shinigami of the highest caliber! If you dedicate yourselves, and train hard, then you can be as strong and skilled as any member of the advanced class!”

You turned a little red as you remembered how you didn’t even know there _was_ an advanced class until today, and you clearly weren’t in it. Now that you thought about it, you probably should’ve figured there was a class for all the people farther ahead; you doubted someone who’d already been training with a division like Nanao would ever be on the same learning curve as a bunch of starving kids from Rukongai.

“Now, all of you report to Zanjutsu class! Immediately!”

The trip down the halls was crowded, but you didn’t mind. It would probably be much better the next day or two, after everyone was moving from their own dorm rooms instead of a huge congregation. When you arrived in the class the instructor ordered you all to line up against the wall, single-file, backs pressed firmly against the wood and alertly awaiting orders.

He strode into the room, six feet of muscle and discipline. Even his walk was practiced, as if he knew exactly how many paces it would take to go from one side of the room to the other. He evaluated every student as he passed them, and then paced back until he was at the center of the lineup.

“Zanjutsu class… is not a skill. Nor is it an art. It is an asset, an essential one. No matter what you choose to specialize in, whether it is Kido, Hakuda, or Zajutsu itself, the blade is how a Shinigami lives, and how a Shinigami will die if he fails to use it properly. This is a skill that you will carry with you your entire career, along with your weapon. Anyone who is not taking this class seriously will be dismissed from Shino Academy without hesitation. Anyone who does not live up to my expectations for you will never graduate from this Academy. Anyone who thinks this is a joke may as well walk out of this academy right now.”

 _”What a… pep talk,”_ you thought to yourself, careful not to let anything show on your face.

“Pair up with the person next to you. They will be your partner for one week.”

There was a moment of confusion as everyone tried to figure out which side they were supposed to turn to, and then everyone had decided. You were with one of the older-looking students, with long, dark blue hair. He sighed, but when he turned to you he was smiling.

“Well, shall we get started?”

You took your positions at one of the marked off areas for sparring. The instructor tossed out pairs of wooden swords and instructed everyone to stand at one end of the arena.

“Each of you are untrained, you are unskilled. I want you to fight each other and feel the difference between yourself and your partner. Over the next week, all of you are going to learn the basics of swordsmanship. The proper stances, the proper strokes, and the proper code of conduct. When this week is over if you do not feel the difference in your battles, I have already failed you as an instructor. Begin!”

The students all faced off against each other, as some stayed in their corners and waited, while others charged in headfirst. The sound of wood colliding with wood, or with flesh, was filling the air in no time. Your opponent chose neither; he stayed in his own edge, but did not appear to be waiting for much of anything. His blade was at his side, casually, while he stared at you with a disinterest that seemed somehow less about you than the situation.

You decided that if he was going to underestimate you and not take this seriously, you’d have to take the fight to him – the teacher was already glancing around the room, it was only a matter of time before he saw you. You rushed forward and brought the blade around in what you hoped was a fast slash aimed at the midsection of-

Your head exploded with pain, and the wooden sword clattered to the ground. You were engulfed in white light for several seconds before you could see again and realized that you were on the mat, with droplets of red dripping down the side of your eye. You put a hand to your head and a streak of red covered part of your palm where you were guessing you’d had your head split open quite neatly. Your opponent had his blade lifted but still rested casually, now hanging over his shoulder as he scratched at his head.

“Er, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to draw blood like that, thought you could take it,” he said nonchalantly.

You were about to decide whether to be snappy or just brush it off when the instructor strode up at a quick pace.

“Recruit! What is your name?”

“Yumichika Ayasegawa,” he said, brushing back one of his long strands as he said the name.

“You’re on the roster… why is a basic student showing so much speed and skill with a weapon? Your test scores were-“

Yumichika rolled his eyes. “Those fools refused to accept my answer, so they gave me a failing grade. I told them I’m not cut out for any of these Kido tricks, that I have no interest, and they dropped me down to this class. I really don’t understand why they didn’t see this-“

The instructor gave a sigh and crossed his arms. He threw a quick glance to you before addressing the student again.

“Go back to your room, be on time for your next class. Tomorrow you’ll be with the advanced students for your Zanjutsu class, at least. As for you,” he turned back to you, “you’ll train with me today. We’ll get started on the basics.”

You stared between the two. You would enjoy not having any more of those wounds… but now that the first blood had been dealt (literally), a part of you wanted to take another swing at him. Maybe if you were prepared, you could at least land a hit on him.

**Practice with the instructor: Go to Chapter 561**

**Ask to finish the day with Yumichika: Go to Chapter 562**


	281. Chapter 281

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to remember what Nanao had just been trying to teach you. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to remember every little correction she had made to your movements. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. With the training you received from that Shinigami lady, you were certain that you already had an edge.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 563**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 564**


	282. Chapter 282

You decided that, seeing as how this was your last day out in the Rukongai, you wanted a real chance to see the area before you left, something to remember it by. With the area around your house mostly cleared out of both other civilians and Shinigami, you were going to have to travel quite a ways to really see anyone, but that was alright with you; you still had an entire afternoon to kill.

You strolled out into the streets, and after only a few blocks of walking, you were surprised to find that you’d already encountered several people. After the incident that had happened just yesterday you were really expecting the place to still be abandoned, but there were many people walking. And you quickly found out why.

There was a massive relief effort. Well, as much of one as the Rukongai could throw together on its own. There were people all around handing out food and water – normally, it would be something like… some of it probably stolen by the most noble kind of thieves, others perhaps donated by the few people who could afford it and felt charitable that day, others simply sharing with friends and appearing generous. But after your encounter yesterday, you thought you had an idea of where it had all come from. There was more than ever before, at least that you’d seen, and you guessed that it was the work of those Shinigami. Perhaps even Nanao, before she came over, or after leaving your house.

As you watched the proceedings perhaps it was only really a matter of time before someone approached you. A woman with long, flowing orange locks walked up and held a tray with what looked like no less than two dozen persimmons sitting on it.

“Care for some food? Really helps calm the nerves after big stress,” she offered while holding out the tray, munching on one herself.

“Uh… sure, thanks,” you said, pulling one free and immediately digging in. You weren’t terribly hungry, but you were used to taking whatever you could get without hesitation.

“My name’s Rangiku. We heard about the big attack yesterday; did you have family that lived here?”

She must have thought that you were here to check up on a relative or something, though the reality was much scarier for you.

“No, I-” you said, already gesturing toward your home, but Rangiku missed it. She was turning to a young boy who was half-crying, already comforting him. By the time she came back up, she seemed to have forgotten all about asking you a question.

“Sorry about that, just so much going on, so many to help. And all while worrying about the Academy examinations tomorrow,” she said, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. “Would you mind helping me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but there’s not a lot else to do around here anyway, right?”

You hesitated for a moment. Well, she _was_ right. You really didn’t have much to do. On the other hand, this seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding, and you had originally decided to relax – you, after all, were the one who’d gone through the big stress around here.

**Agree to help her out: Go to Chapter 565**

**Tell her goodbye and head home: Go to Chapter 566**


	283. Chapter 283

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to focus a little more on actual skill, and a little bit less on power. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to remember every little correction she had made to your movements. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 567**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 568**


	284. Chapter 284

You decided that, seeing as how this was your last day out in the Rukongai, you wanted a real chance to see the area before you left, something to remember it by. With the area around your house mostly cleared out of both other civilians and Shinigami, you were going to have to travel quite a ways to really see anyone, but that was alright with you; you still had an entire afternoon to kill.

You strolled out into the streets, and after only a few blocks of walking, you were surprised to find that you’d already encountered several people. After the incident that had happened just yesterday you were really expecting the place to still be abandoned, but there were many people walking. And you quickly found out why.

There was a massive relief effort. Well, as much of one as the Rukongai could throw together on its own. There were people all around handing out food and water – normally, it would be something like… some of it probably stolen by the most noble kind of thieves, others perhaps donated by the few people who could afford it and felt charitable that day, others simply sharing with friends and appearing generous. But after your encounter yesterday, you thought you had an idea of where it had all come from. There was more than ever before, at least that you’d seen, and you guessed that it was the work of those Shinigami. Perhaps even Nanao, before she came over, or after leaving your house.

As you watched the proceedings perhaps it was only really a matter of time before someone approached you. A woman with long, flowing orange locks walked up and held a tray with what looked like no less than two dozen persimmons sitting on it.

“Care for some food? Really helps calm the nerves after big stress,” she offered while holding out the tray, munching on one herself.

“Uh… sure, thanks,” you said, pulling one free and immediately digging in. You weren’t terribly hungry, but you were used to taking whatever you could get without hesitation.

“My name’s Rangiku. We heard about the big attack yesterday; did you have family that lived here?”

She must have thought that you were here to check up on a relative or something, though the reality was much scarier for you.

“No, I-” you said, already gesturing toward your home, but Rangiku missed it. She was turning to a young boy who was half-crying, already comforting him. By the time she came back up, she seemed to have forgotten all about asking you a question.

“Sorry about that, just so much going on, so many to help. And all while worrying about the Academy examinations tomorrow,” she said, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. “Would you mind helping me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but there’s not a lot else to do around here anyway, right?”

You hesitated for a moment. Well, she _was_ right. You really didn’t have much to do. On the other hand, this seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding, and you had originally decided to relax – you, after all, were the one who’d gone through the big stress around here.

**Agree to help her out: Go to Chapter 569**

**Tell her goodbye and head home: Go to Chapter 570**


	285. Chapter 285

You hadn’t done much preparation for the examination – well, honestly, you hadn’t done any. You decided that you needed to get some immediate work done, as panic filled your mind. In fact you were so concerned it took you a minute or two to even begin calming down enough to actually start on the work.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the house and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. After that, you worked your way into basic punches, but found even more quickly than with cardio that punching a wooden wall was a little out of the realm of pain you could tolerate.

On the plus side, all the panicking definitely helped you get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the street, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but you found yourself lifting weights above what you’d really been expecting. Hopefully, just maybe, the attention you were getting now was enough to make you pass. They did seem to whisper amongst themselves a little more interestedly for a bit.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You had a close experience with death, one most people don’t escape, and it’s left its mark upon you. But how deep is the scar? For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 571**


	286. Chapter 286

You dashed off toward the examinations, determined to make it on time.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, so you simply hoped that it was somewhat impressive. Hopefully, just maybe, you could pass if you managed to impress at least one of them. They did seem to whisper amongst themselves a little more, but you couldn’t tell whether it was good or bad.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few minutes, a back and forth between two in particular getting quite heated, before facing forward again.

“Pass. Barely.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You had a close experience with death, one most people don’t escape, and it’s left its mark upon you. But how deep is the scar? For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 572**


	287. Chapter 287

“Wh-what? No, I can’t fight anyone-“

The bald man stared, jaw gaping, for a few seconds. Then he pointed the blade directly at you once again and began shouting at you even louder than before.

“WHAT?! I was usin’ you as a friggin’ example, kid, don’t get all scaredy-cat on me! What the hell are you kids made out of these days, cream puffs and rainbows?! I’m gonna kick your ass, just to toughen you up a little!”

“Ikkaku, hold on now, no need to go-“

The friend that had been standing behind him fairly passively suddenly held him back, apparently at least willing to stop him from beating the hell out of a child, an act you were certain he was more than capable (and willing) to accomplish.

“No! These kids don’t know anything about being tough, about surviving, and I’m gonna be the one to beat it into their little-“

“Yes, yes, come along now…” The other man said, trailing off as he proceeded to drag the bald-headed and incredibly aggressive man around the nearest corner.

You stood there dumbfounded for a little bit, along with several others, before people finally began to spread out as the last shouts of the man faded away. You weren’t that surprised; it had been exciting and new, but life in the Rukongai always returned to normal after a while.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. The sun was already passing overhead, by the time you’d tracked these people down and witnessed the shenanigans you’d just been a part of. Well, so much for finding anything out here.

You continued to search, but after a time you were eventually forced to realize that there just wasn’t a whole lot going on today. When you finally returned the afternoon was growing later, and in just a few hours you knew the sun would be setting.

The information gathering mission hadn’t been a rousing success, but you still had some time left in the day. If you couldn’t prepare mentally for the exams, you could always try to do it physically. Or, failing that, you could also simply enjoy your last day. The Rukongai may not have been much, but it was your home. Walking around the neighborhood and checking out the sights one last time before you took your examinations wasn’t necessarily a bad way to spend your last day.

**Train for a few hours: Go to Chapter 573**

**Enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 574**


	288. Chapter 288

“Y-yeah! I can take you on too, any time!” You shouted back, confidence in your voice far exceeding what you probably actually had. Still, you were in it now, so as you shook your fist at the sword-wielding bald man, you made sure not to let any nervousness show – as best as you could, anyway.

"Now that's more like it!" The bald man shouted, pointing the blade at you with a sudden grin. "Yumichika, give him a sword!"

"You're not really planning on fighting him, are you? Even for you, that's just desperate."

"Shut up! And you, take your best shot."

Yumichika threw his blade to you. It stuck in the ground a few inches in front of you, and you hesitantly reached out to pull it free. Perhaps afraid of being unable to and looking foolish you have a firm pull that sent you backward a few inches, but no one laughed. The crowd was deadly silent.

 _"I'm in too deep to back out..."_ You thought, unwilling to give up pride to prevent pain. With a loud battlecry, you rushed at the bald warrior and slashed with the heavy blade. You weren't exactly an expert, but even you could feel how clumsy the metal blade felt in your hand.

But despite that, you managed to connect! Your blade hit him dead in his right shoulder... and stopped dead.

He gave a grunt, but it sounded more like an agitated one than pained. Then you were on the ground, backhanded by the man without a second thought. The crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn’t used the blade on you; you were rather relieved as well, but the pain in your head made it a little hard to focus.

“Don’t you kids train anymore?!” Ikkaku shouted at you, lifting you off the ground by one of your arms.

“I, we-“

“You’re coming with us!”

The bald man continued to carry you by the arm, your feet several inches above the ground. His raven-haired friend had been amusedly exasperated with his actions before, but now he seemed downright shocked and quite flustered.

“Ikkaku! It’s one thing to kill a few people, but now we’re kidnapping children as well?”

Ikkaku grunted. “This kid’s got more guts than any of them, but he’s about as threatening as a rabbit! We’re training him, you ain’t got anything better to do than moan anyway.”

“Well, I never!”

The two of them continued bickering like that for a few moments, while you stared at the ground passing under your feet in shock. No one from the crowd was coming after you; you were going to have to act on your own. What could you do, though? He had a hell of a grip on you, after all…

**Struggle, fight back against him: Go to Chapter 575**

**Just go along with it: Go to Chapter 576**


	289. Chapter 289

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to remember what Nanao had just been trying to teach you. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to remember every little correction she had made to your movements. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. With the training you received from that Shinigami lady, you were certain that you already had an edge.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 577**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 578**


	290. Chapter 290

You decided that, seeing as how this was your last day out in the Rukongai, you wanted a real chance to see the area before you left, something to remember it by. With the area around your house mostly cleared out of both other civilians and Shinigami, you were going to have to travel quite a ways to really see anyone, but that was alright with you; you still had an entire afternoon to kill.

You strolled out into the streets, and after only a few blocks of walking, you were surprised to find that you’d already encountered several people. After the incident that had happened just yesterday you were really expecting the place to still be abandoned, but there were many people walking. And you quickly found out why.

There was a massive relief effort. Well, as much of one as the Rukongai could throw together on its own. There were people all around handing out food and water – normally, it would be something like… some of it probably stolen by the most noble kind of thieves, others perhaps donated by the few people who could afford it and felt charitable that day, others simply sharing with friends and appearing generous. But after your encounter yesterday, you thought you had an idea of where it had all come from. There was more than ever before, at least that you’d seen, and you guessed that it was the work of those Shinigami. Perhaps even Nanao, before she came over, or after leaving your house.

As you watched the proceedings perhaps it was only really a matter of time before someone approached you. A woman with long, flowing orange locks walked up and held a tray with what looked like no less than two dozen persimmons sitting on it.

“Care for some food? Really helps calm the nerves after big stress,” she offered while holding out the tray, munching on one herself.

“Uh… sure, thanks,” you said, pulling one free and immediately digging in. You weren’t terribly hungry, but you were used to taking whatever you could get without hesitation.

“My name’s Rangiku. We heard about the big attack yesterday; did you have family that lived here?”

She must have thought that you were here to check up on a relative or something, though the reality was much scarier for you.

“No, I-” you said, already gesturing toward your home, but Rangiku missed it. She was turning to a young boy who was half-crying, already comforting him. By the time she came back up, she seemed to have forgotten all about asking you a question.

“Sorry about that, just so much going on, so many to help. And all while worrying about the Academy examinations tomorrow,” she said, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. “Would you mind helping me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but there’s not a lot else to do around here anyway, right?”

You hesitated for a moment. Well, she _was_ right. You really didn’t have much to do. On the other hand, this seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding, and you had originally decided to relax – you, after all, were the one who’d gone through the big stress around here.

**Agree to help her out: Go to Chapter 579**

**Tell her goodbye and head home: Go to Chapter 580**


	291. Chapter 291

“Hey, wait a second!” You called out as you ran to the door frame, just managing to catch them while they were still in shouting distance. Both of them turned around, Ikkaku looking semi-curious and Yumichika only slightly more annoyed than he’d already been. You dashed after them, not stopping to speak until you were up next to them.

“You two… you aren’t normal guys,” you said cautiously, uncertain exactly how to phrase it, mostly because you were uncertain exactly what they really _were_ , besides unusual. Murderers? Fighters? Idiots with swords? Did it matter? “Nobody this close to the Seireitei carries a real blade with them, not anymore. And none of them talk about killing people or becoming Shinigami like it was just another day. I want to come with you.”

“Certainly-“

“Certainly!” Ikkaku shouted out, cutting off what you were fairly certain would’ve been a rejection by Yumichika.

“Ikkaku! For the love of-“

“Hey, come on, how many kids have the guts to look at one of these,” he said with a head jerk toward his blade, “and really get interested? This one’s got more balls than half the people from _our_ district had. I say we let him tag along. At the very least, oughta be more fun than watching you apply your makeup the whole way to the Academy!”

“As if I needed such paltry disguising as that to look this good,” Yumichika said, clearly ruffled. Then he threw a glance to you, over his shoulder.

“Fine, you can follow us, but at the very least try to keep up,” he said, shaking his head. Surprisingly, despite the content of his words, he seemed more resigned than annoyed at you. Together the three of you began your journey toward the distant… wherever it was you were going.

Keeping up wasn’t much of an issue. The way Ikkaku was constantly going on to one of you two, it would’ve been easy to follow just by his booming voice. Besides that, he was constantly making stops to take fruit and anything else he wanted from nearby stalls. Nobody dared to stop him. It made your stomach growl after a while, and you ended up using the last of your coins to grab an armload of fruits and meats. It was a little hard to eat and walk at the same time when they actually picked up their pace, but for the most part you were actually pretty okay.

After about six hours of walking, your feet beginning to grow sore and stiff, Ikkaku gave a great yawn and stretched. Then he pointed to a house, randomly.

“Well, this place looks like a good enough bed for the night,” he said, cracking his neck a bit.

Yumichika just sighed. “Ikkaku, we’ve still got half a district to go, and-“

“Bah, forget your half a district!” Ikkaku shouted, waving Yumichika off as if it were nothing. “We’ve walked far enough, and I’m tired. Besides, I wanna test this kid out.”

You paused for a moment mid-stride, uncertain as to what he was implying. Was he going to fight you? You hoped it didn’t involve actual swords.

“There’s just no reasoning with you, is there? Ever since that Zaraki guy got under your skin you’ve been nothing but a hotheaded buffoon. Not that that was much different from before, by any means.”

“You talk too much,” Ikkaku grumbled as he walked into the house. Fortunately, there was nobody inside to object to his presence, but you couldn’t help but to wonder whether there had been someone else residing in the home you’d shared with them the previous night.

Yumichika actually perked up once you were all inside the house and resting, even moreso once Ikkaku finally shared some of the food he’d been plundering. It seemed like despite his objections to stopping, he was every bit as tired and bored as the both of you were. It didn’t take long for Ikkaku to recover from the former, though, and when he did he immediately set about rectifying the latter.

“Alright, kid, get ready for some fun,” Ikkaku said, as he took up a fighting stance across from you. He raised his fists… something only slightly better in your book than the blade, especially when you saw the muscles he was flexing.

“Must you make such a racket after we’ve only just stopped? He’s not even going to last five minutes, I’m not sure why you’re in such a rush to deprive yourself of your only entertainment.”

Yumichika… probably had a point. You weren’t likely to put up a great deal of struggle against someone as strong as him. On the other hand, if anyone was getting into the Academy, it was this guy. Maybe he could teach you a thing or two?

**Fight against Ikkaku: Go to Chapter 581**

**Say you’d rather just relax: Go to Chapter 582**


	292. Chapter 292

You let their voices fade. You would get a lot more done if you stayed here, at least you thought so. Especially since you’d done a whole lot of nothing over the past few weeks. Training for the entrance exams had to take priority.

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The memory of the Hollow attack was enough to make you realize just how dire your situation was – you’d be in more danger as a Shinigami, true, but at least you’d be able to protect yourself. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 583**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 584**


	293. Chapter 293

You just kicked back. It wasn’t exactly accomplishing a great deal, but you didn’t worry too much. You deserved a break after yesterday… with the entire Hollow attack, you would’ve preferred not to think too much today anyway.

After an hour or so, though, you started to get bored. And the more bored you got, the more your mind turned back to the attack. You knew the Hollow was dead, that it couldn’t hurt you… but every time that you thought about it, that familiar chill returned to your chest with a vengeance.

Deciding it best to get your mind off of things with a little exercise, you went for a walk around the Rukongai. You stayed close to home, but it definitely helped clear your head. Looking at the people bustling about their daily lives – the shopkeepers, those that held actual work, and those that were simply waiting for the right opportunity to pilfer whatever they could – kept you thinking about other things long enough to forget all your troubles. And when the sun started to set, and the people returned to their homes, you felt confident that you’d gotten a good look at your old home. You could leave tomorrow without any regrets, if you managed to get into the Shinigami Academy.

As you laid down, the fresh night air just beginning to replace the humid day, you wondered what the future held for you.

~~~~

When you awoke, the morning sun was rising – in fact, it was rising a little too quickly. Your eyelids fluttered open and adrenaline surged through your veins. The test was in only an hour! That wasn’t much time, and you had hoped to prepare, at least a little! You scanned what little you remembered hearing about the exam in your memories from the woman who had spoken of them a bit last night; she had mentioned the district. It was at least a forty minute walk… and twenty minutes wasn’t enough time to do much if anything.

You had to decide – was it more important to risk being late, and potentially upsetting the examiners, if you got in at all? Or was the extra strength more than being on time could’ve won you?

**Cram in some last-minute training: Go to Chapter 585**

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 586**


	294. Chapter 294

Training was the best way to go. You needed to get stronger, and the best way to do that was a solid day of hard work and sweat. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The memory of the Hollow attack was enough to make you realize just how dire your situation was – you’d be in more danger as a Shinigami, true, but at least you’d be able to protect yourself. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 587**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 588**


	295. Chapter 295

You decided to see the Rukongai, look around and discover some new things. You’d already spent the night here, so you could probably safely return home, but there was no reason for you to rush. You had a pocket full of cash, something that you’d never before experienced. It was almost… intoxicating. And as long as you didn’t let on how much you had, it could last a long time.

Or an afternoon, maybe.

As you walked through the streets, for the first time you experienced what it was like to be able to buy whatever you wanted. Every food stall you passed for the first three blocks was your playground, picking out something from every one of them and devouring it before you made your way to the next one. The three blocks after that you grabbed an entire half-jug of water to wash down the food with, and _that_ was when it went to your head.

A wooden sword, a training tool for certain but largely a toy. You got one of them, as well as a new shirt, pants, and sandals. Extra food, and a way to carry it all in the form of an oversized sack. You lost track after that, simply gathering anything that caught your fancy, making sure to move around a lot to not make it appear that you were just one person walking from one end of a street to the other buying everything. This was far from the horrors of the 70th district and above, but that didn’t mean there weren’t plenty of people looking to mug a young kid with lots of cash.

When you finally returned home the sun was already setting, and you were absolutely burdened down with food in your belly and things on your back. You collapsed onto the floor and, exhausted and with a full stomach, could barely keep your eyes open long enough to lay yourself on top of the sack to keep anyone from making off with it in the night.

~~~~

Awakening the next day, you looked around, unsure exactly where you were, or what time it was. Judging by the fact that the rays of sunlight coming in through the doorway were thin and fairly orange yet, you must’ve been pretty close to sunrise, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that-

Oh crap! The Academy entrance examinations were today! And you hadn’t done any preparing at all! You had a little time before the exams, but they were quite a ways away too… was it worth the risk of being late to stay here and train? How much of a difference could you make in an hour or two, anyway? Then again…

**Run straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 589**

**Train before you go: Go to Chapter 590**


	296. Chapter 296

Training was the best way to go. You needed to get stronger, and the best way to do that was a solid day of hard work and sweat. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The memory of the Hollow attack was enough to make you realize just how dire your situation was – you’d be in more danger as a Shinigami, true, but at least you’d be able to protect yourself. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into, the ones from Seireitei… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 591**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 592**


	297. Chapter 297

You were going to scour the Rukongai until you found information about the Shinigami exams, even if that meant you had to walk all the way to Seireitei and back. You had a full stomach and a will of iron.

What few people were willing to talk with you about it were not much more knowledgeable than you yourself were. They only knew the date – tomorrow – and the locations that they were conducting the exams. Fortunately, the Rukongai was so large that most Academy examinations took place at multiple points, open to anyone who wanted to join. At most, the average citizen of Rukongai had to travel five districts. You were fortunate, seeing as how there was one only two districts away. Well, if the rumors were to be believed, anyway.

You had very nearly given up when you noticed a crowd gathering around. It was small, but for as rare as a gathering was here it was somewhat impressive and immediately noticeable. You crept over and stared over their shoulders to see a sight you certainly hadn’t been expecting.

Two men with blades stood out in the street. Real blades, actual swords. You were shocked. You very rarely saw people carry real blades out in the open like that in this part of Rukongai; most of the outright criminals and people who were bloodthirsty were out in the seventies of the districts, not up here. Certainly not before the sixtieth.

“Even… even injured, you wimps aren’t worth my time!”

With one swing of a sheathed blade, the bleeding, bald man knocked three fully grown men out. They were already injured, but there were still multiple gasps of surprise. This man was strong, clearly, but you could only imagine how strong. His injuries were severe, and his shirt was stained with blood. It looked reasonably fresh, but there was plenty that looked stained in and old as well.

“Bah, you people need to learn how to defend yourselves!” The man pointed his blade accusingly at everyone gathered around, even swinging it over you.

“Come on, Ikkaku. Let’s just continue on, you’ve had enough fun for now. Besides, we have an appointment to keep!”

“Not yet! We… we’re due at the academy, but…” The man named Ikkaku struggled with his words, swaying visibly. Despite his bravado he seemed to have lost quite a bit of blood.

“But these people need to know they’re worthless! Defenseless! Hell, this kid right here could probably take all of them on!”

Your eyes widened as he pointed directly at you. You looked around frantically, hoping there was someone else, but of course there wasn’t. You were the only child there. Probably why he’d singled you out in the first place.

He almost seemed to be waiting for something, so you had to react. You-

**-Denied it: Go to Chapter 593**

**-Responded aggressively to him: Go to Chapter 594**


	298. Chapter 298

“Hold on a second!” You called out before he could get too far away. He didn’t come back, didn’t even bother to turn to face you, but he did stop and cock his head over his shoulder.

“Take me with you,” you said suddenly, nodding your head as firmly as you could manage. “I want to be a Shinigami too… and it sounds like you’re well on your way.”

“Think you can keep up?” The response surprised you with how utterly unconcerned he seemed. He didn’t even give you an answer, as if he hadn’t even had to consider it. “If you get in my way, I’ll kill you.”

“I… I can keep up,” you said firmly, not wanting to go back on your resolve.

“Good enough. Just remember, anyone who looks tough, leave ‘em to me. I haven’t had any fun since that bald guy, and that was almost a week ago. My sword’s practically dry.”

“Sometimes if Kenny goes for a whole two weeks he just starts going craaazy!” The little girl with the pink hair squealed, clapping her hands like that was the most normal thing in the world. You were just wondering how crazy he could get. He was already a lot weirder than most of the other people from around here.

“Come on. We’ve still got a little ways to go.”

Go where, you weren’t entirely certain. But you were just happy to find out that he actually had a destination in mind at all. Together the three of you trekked at a pace you could just barely keep up without breaking into a jog, across so many side streets and back alleys you started to wonder how far you’d gone. It was starting to wear on your muscles when Kenpachi stopped dead in the middle of an intersection and started looking around.

“Are we… are we there?” You asked quietly. Kenpachi leaned over toward a wall where a massive gash ran through the building and then turned his head up toward the girl on his shoulder.

“YACHIRU! We’re back where we started!”

“You must have gotten turned around, Kenny!” She squealed in defense, looking as shocked as he was.

“For the third time?!”

“Well, then this time go _that_ way!” Yachiru gestured dramatically to the east, waving her arm furiously.

“Forget it,” Kenpachi said with a long sigh, clearly resigned to his fate. “We’re done travelling for the night, it’s late enough. We’ll crash here. Doubt anybody’s left inside anyway.”

True to his word the house was empty, why you weren’t certain. In the silence that encompassed the house as Kenpachi took Yachiru down and they both curled up in the corner, you couldn’t help but picture him evicting an entire family, or even cutting someone down to secure the home.

“I can’t sleep… too bored,” Kenpachi finally said after a few minutes, finally breaking the silence and pulling you out of your thoughts. "I thought that I could make it to the Academy without any more excitement, but this is getting frustrating..."

"Academy? The Shinigami Academy?" You asked, raising your head and almost immediately wide awake.

"Yeah, something about entrance exams tomorrow morning... guess a few Captains are gonna be in attendance. I want to see how tough they really are," Kenpachi said, a wide grin crossing his face.

"Entrance exams..." You murmured to yourself, too shocked by that to dwell on his proclamation about the Captains. You hadn't known they were tomorrow! That might be your chance... if you could just make it into the Academy now, you might get out of this life of poverty once and for all.

“Jeez, now thinkin' about it I'm all worked up. Hey, Yachiru, fight the new guy.”

“Me? Okay, Kenny! I’ll give you a real good show!”

The girl hopped up and was in what looked like a fighting stance before you had even really understood what he just said. She glanced over at you and had the biggest grin you’d seen on her face since she got her hands on some of your candy.

“If I win, I want the rest of that candy though!”

Kenpachi just sighed and shook his head. Well, that explained her happiness, at least.

Judging by her eagerness and the fact that she was already inching toward you, you knew that not fighting wasn’t really much of an option. Still… was it really okay to fight her? She was much younger than you, and less physically imposing even compared to your half-starved body. Plus, what would Kenpachi think if you won? You didn’t think he’d be pleased to see you hurting the girl he’d been carrying around for who knew how long.

**Fight as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 595**

**Go easy on her: Go to Chapter 596**


	299. Chapter 299

“Hey, wait a minute!” You shouted before he could get too far away. He didn’t come back, didn’t even bother to turn to face you, but he did stop and cock his head over his shoulder.

“Please, train me! If you can do half of what you’re claiming to, you’ve got to be able to help me. I want to become a Shinigami too!”

The reaction you got wasn’t exactly what you expected, and certainly not what you were hoping for. The tall man threw back his head and started laughing. It wasn’t for several seconds that he recovered enough to throw a wicked looking smirk at you and talk again.

“Trainin’s for wimps. You wanna get strong? Find someone to fight. Go to those exams in a couple days and train with the rest of the small fry. I don’t have time for weaklings,” he said simply, turning and walking away at his rapid pace.

You sighed and took a long look after him. Was he right? Somehow, you couldn’t shake it, even wondering how one was supposed to win any fights without training. You turned, and began to make your way home while pondering over what you were supposed to do now.

He had mentioned exams... now that you thought about it, you did hear rumors about Academy exams coming up. Could they really be in only a couple days? If they were the day after tomorrow, you didn't have much time to prepare...

Well, you guessed you'd just have to make the best of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you awoke the next morning, you knew that you had to do something. There was only one day left before the exams… it was one of the rare chances anyone had to escape this place. And if all you had to do was be strong, well, that was at least worth something.

But the question was, how?

**Train, hard: Go to Chapter 597**

**Look around for information: Go to Chapter 598**


	300. Chapter 300

You just stayed silent. You knew that you weren’t going to follow these people, especially after the way they’d been acting. Instead, you focused on getting yourself home, knowing fully well that you had a long day ahead of you tomorrow.

Academy exams. Those were what stuck out in your mind. The large man’s talk of Shinigami had brought it back to the forefront of your mind, and you were bound and determined to make it. They were in only two days, or so the rumors said, and that meant you needed to prepare quickly. The question was, how? You really didn’t know, and you were still contemplating by the time that you finally arrived home and fell asleep in your makeshift bed.

~~~~~~

When you awoke the next morning, you knew that you had to do something. There were Academy examinations tomorrow… it was one of the rare chances anyone had to escape this place. And if all you had to do was be strong, well, that was at least worth something. How hard could that be? You could get strong.

But the question was, how?

**Train, hard: Go to Chapter 599**

**Look around for information: Go to Chapter 600**


	301. Chapter 301

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to remember what Nanao had just been trying to teach you. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to remember every little correction she had made to your movements. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice. With the training you received from that Shinigami lady, you were certain that you already had an edge.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 601**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 602**


	302. Chapter 302

You decided that, seeing as how this was your last day out in the Rukongai, you wanted a real chance to see the area before you left, something to remember it by. With the area around your house mostly cleared out of both other civilians and Shinigami, you were going to have to travel quite a ways to really see anyone, but that was alright with you; you still had an entire afternoon to kill.

You strolled out into the streets, and after only a few blocks of walking, you were surprised to find that you’d already encountered several people. After the incident that had happened just yesterday you were really expecting the place to still be abandoned, but there were many people walking. And you quickly found out why.

There was a massive relief effort. Well, as much of one as the Rukongai could throw together on its own. There were people all around handing out food and water – normally, it would be something like… some of it probably stolen by the most noble kind of thieves, others perhaps donated by the few people who could afford it and felt charitable that day, others simply sharing with friends and appearing generous. But after your encounter yesterday, you thought you had an idea of where it had all come from. There was more than ever before, at least that you’d seen, and you guessed that it was the work of those Shinigami. Perhaps even Nanao, before she came over, or after leaving your house.

As you watched the proceedings perhaps it was only really a matter of time before someone approached you. A woman with long, flowing orange locks walked up and held a tray with what looked like no less than two dozen persimmons sitting on it.

“Care for some food? Really helps calm the nerves after big stress,” she offered while holding out the tray, munching on one herself.

“Uh… sure, thanks,” you said, pulling one free and immediately digging in. You weren’t terribly hungry, but you were used to taking whatever you could get without hesitation.

“My name’s Rangiku. We heard about the big attack yesterday; did you have family that lived here?”

She must have thought that you were here to check up on a relative or something, though the reality was much scarier for you.

“No, I-” you said, already gesturing toward your home, but Rangiku missed it. She was turning to a young boy who was half-crying, already comforting him. By the time she came back up, she seemed to have forgotten all about asking you a question.

“Sorry about that, just so much going on, so many to help. And all while worrying about the Academy examinations tomorrow,” she said, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. “Would you mind helping me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but there’s not a lot else to do around here anyway, right?”

You hesitated for a moment. Well, she _was_ right. You really didn’t have much to do. On the other hand, this seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding, and you had originally decided to relax – you, after all, were the one who’d gone through the big stress around here.

**Agree to help her out: Go to Chapter 603**

**Tell her goodbye and head home: Go to Chapter 604**


	303. Chapter 303

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to focus a little more on actual skill, and a little bit less on power. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to remember every little correction she had made to your movements. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 605**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 606**


	304. Chapter 304

You decided that, seeing as how this was your last day out in the Rukongai, you wanted a real chance to see the area before you left, something to remember it by. With the area around your house mostly cleared out of both other civilians and Shinigami, you were going to have to travel quite a ways to really see anyone, but that was alright with you; you still had an entire afternoon to kill.

You strolled out into the streets, and after only a few blocks of walking, you were surprised to find that you’d already encountered several people. After the incident that had happened just yesterday you were really expecting the place to still be abandoned, but there were many people walking. And you quickly found out why.

There was a massive relief effort. Well, as much of one as the Rukongai could throw together on its own. There were people all around handing out food and water – normally, it would be something like… some of it probably stolen by the most noble kind of thieves, others perhaps donated by the few people who could afford it and felt charitable that day, others simply sharing with friends and appearing generous. But after your encounter yesterday, you thought you had an idea of where it had all come from. There was more than ever before, at least that you’d seen, and you guessed that it was the work of those Shinigami. Perhaps even Nanao, before she came over, or after leaving your house.

As you watched the proceedings perhaps it was only really a matter of time before someone approached you. A woman with long, flowing orange locks walked up and held a tray with what looked like no less than two dozen persimmons sitting on it.

“Care for some food? Really helps calm the nerves after big stress,” she offered while holding out the tray, munching on one herself.

“Uh… sure, thanks,” you said, pulling one free and immediately digging in. You weren’t terribly hungry, but you were used to taking whatever you could get without hesitation.

“My name’s Rangiku. We heard about the big attack yesterday; did you have family that lived here?”

She must have thought that you were here to check up on a relative or something, though the reality was much scarier for you.

“No, I-” you said, already gesturing toward your home, but Rangiku missed it. She was turning to a young boy who was half-crying, already comforting him. By the time she came back up, she seemed to have forgotten all about asking you a question.

“Sorry about that, just so much going on, so many to help. And all while worrying about the Academy examinations tomorrow,” she said, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. “Would you mind helping me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but there’s not a lot else to do around here anyway, right?”

You hesitated for a moment. Well, she _was_ right. You really didn’t have much to do. On the other hand, this seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding, and you had originally decided to relax – you, after all, were the one who’d gone through the big stress around here.

**Agree to help her out: Go to Chapter 607**

**Tell her goodbye and head home: Go to Chapter 608**


	305. Chapter 305

You hadn’t done much preparation for the examination – well, honestly, you hadn’t done any. You decided that you needed to get some immediate work done, as panic filled your mind. In fact you were so concerned it took you a minute or two to even begin calming down enough to actually start on the work.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the house and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. After that, you worked your way into basic punches, but found even more quickly than with cardio that punching a wooden wall was a little out of the realm of pain you could tolerate.

On the plus side, all the panicking definitely helped you get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the street, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began to panic, and forced your straining muscles to lift weights you probably wouldn’t have been able to if it wasn’t for the massive adrenaline rush the terror of failure created.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass. Barely.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You had a close experience with death, one most people don’t escape, and it’s left its mark upon you. But how deep is the scar? For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 609**


	306. Chapter 306

You dashed off toward the examinations, determined to make it on time.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, one of them would glance up, but their attention seemed to immediately fall back to the vacant desk. Your mind went into a flurry of fear as you tried to push yourself as hard as you could.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, so you simply hoped that it was somewhat impressive. Hopefully, just maybe, you could pass if you managed to impress at least one of them.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few minutes, a furious back and forth between all three of them as they debated. One seemed to be going up against the other two in particular, but you weren’t sure whether that was a good thing, or not. Finally, their battle ended, and one of them turned to face you with a grim look on his face.

“I’m afraid you didn’t make the cut. Better luck next year.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d been so sure that you could make it – maybe if you, if you’d trained harder, or-

You were escorted out of the building, something they seemed very ready to do. Perhaps it was expected. You stumbled back to your home in a daze, unsure of how such a thing could happen. You felt your heart dropping, as you collapsed into a corner of your home and began to sob in frustration.

You attended the examinations again, the next year. And the year after that. Even the year after that, you continued to try. Eventually, though, you had to resign yourself to your defeat. Your spirit had been crushed, and no matter how much effort you put into it after that, you were never able to reach the heights of the other applicants. You wandered the Rukongai for the rest of your afterlife, living your life out as a nameless denizen, until eventually meeting your end, as all souls must eventually.

**Bad Ending #1: Rejected**


	307. Chapter 307

“Wh-what? No, I can’t fight anyone-“

The bald man stared, jaw gaping, for a few seconds. Then he pointed the blade directly at you once again and began shouting at you even louder than before.

“WHAT?! I was usin’ you as a friggin’ example, kid, don’t get all scaredy-cat on me! What the hell are you kids made out of these days, cream puffs and rainbows?! I’m gonna kick your ass, just to toughen you up a little!”

“Ikkaku, hold on now, no need to go-“

The friend that had been standing behind him fairly passively suddenly held him back, apparently at least willing to stop him from beating the hell out of a child, an act you were certain he was more than capable (and willing) to accomplish.

“No! These kids don’t know anything about being tough, about surviving, and I’m gonna be the one to beat it into their little-“

“Yes, yes, come along now…” The other man said, trailing off as he proceeded to drag the bald-headed and incredibly aggressive man around the nearest corner.

You stood there dumbfounded for a little bit, along with several others, before people finally began to spread out as the last shouts of the man faded away. You weren’t that surprised; it had been exciting and new, but life in the Rukongai always returned to normal after a while.

You sighed and looked up to the sky. The sun was already passing overhead, by the time you’d tracked these people down and witnessed the shenanigans you’d just been a part of. Well, so much for finding anything out here.

You continued to search, but after a time you were eventually forced to realize that there just wasn’t a whole lot going on today. When you finally returned the afternoon was growing later, and in just a few hours you knew the sun would be setting.

The information gathering mission hadn’t been a rousing success, but you still had some time left in the day. If you couldn’t prepare mentally for the exams, you could always try to do it physically. Or, failing that, you could also simply enjoy your last day. The Rukongai may not have been much, but it was your home. Walking around the neighborhood and checking out the sights one last time before you took your examinations wasn’t necessarily a bad way to spend your last day.

**Train for a few hours: Go to Chapter 610**

**Enjoy your last day: Go to Chapter 611**


	308. Chapter 308

“Y-yeah! I can take you on too, any time!” You shouted back, confidence in your voice far exceeding what you probably actually had. Still, you were in it now, so as you shook your fist at the sword-wielding bald man, you made sure not to let any nervousness show – as best as you could, anyway.

"Now that's more like it!" The bald man shouted, pointing the blade at you with a sudden grin. "Yumichika, give him a sword!"

"You're not really planning on fighting him, are you? Even for you, that's just desperate."

"Shut up! And you, take your best shot."

Yumichika threw his blade to you. It stuck in the ground a few inches in front of you, and you hesitantly reached out to pull it free. Perhaps afraid of being unable to and looking foolish you have a firm pull that sent you backward a few inches, but no one laughed. The crowd was deadly silent.

 _"I'm in too deep to back out..."_ You thought, unwilling to give up pride to prevent pain. With a loud battlecry, you rushed at the bald warrior and slashed with the heavy blade. You weren't exactly an expert, but even you could feel how clumsy the metal blade felt in your hand.

But despite that, you managed to connect! Your blade hit him dead in his right shoulder... and stopped dead.

He gave a grunt, but it sounded more like an agitated one than pained. Then you were on the ground, backhanded by the man without a second thought. The crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn’t used the blade on you; you were rather relieved as well, but the pain in your head made it a little hard to focus.

“Don’t you kids train anymore?!” Ikkaku shouted at you, lifting you off the ground by one of your arms.

“I, we-“

“You’re coming with us!”

The bald man continued to carry you by the arm, your feet several inches above the ground. His raven-haired friend had been amusedly exasperated with his actions before, but now he seemed downright shocked and quite flustered.

“Ikkaku! It’s one thing to kill a few people, but now we’re kidnapping children as well?”

Ikkaku grunted. “This kid’s got more guts than any of them, but he’s about as threatening as a rabbit! We’re training him, you ain’t got anything better to do than moan anyway.”

“Well, I never!”

The two of them continued bickering like that for a few moments, while you stared at the ground passing under your feet in shock. No one from the crowd was coming after you; you were going to have to act on your own. What could you do, though? He had a hell of a grip on you, after all…

**Struggle, fight back against him: Go to Chapter 612**

**Just go along with it: Go to Chapter 613**


	309. Chapter 309

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to focus a little more on actual skill, and a little bit less on power. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to remember every little correction she had made to your movements. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 614**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 615**


	310. Chapter 310

You decided that, seeing as how this was your last day out in the Rukongai, you wanted a real chance to see the area before you left, something to remember it by. With the area around your house mostly cleared out of both other civilians and Shinigami, you were going to have to travel quite a ways to really see anyone, but that was alright with you; you still had an entire afternoon to kill.

You strolled out into the streets, and after only a few blocks of walking, you were surprised to find that you’d already encountered several people. After the incident that had happened just yesterday you were really expecting the place to still be abandoned, but there were many people walking. And you quickly found out why.

There was a massive relief effort. Well, as much of one as the Rukongai could throw together on its own. There were people all around handing out food and water – normally, it would be something like… some of it probably stolen by the most noble kind of thieves, others perhaps donated by the few people who could afford it and felt charitable that day, others simply sharing with friends and appearing generous. But after your encounter yesterday, you thought you had an idea of where it had all come from. There was more than ever before, at least that you’d seen, and you guessed that it was the work of those Shinigami. Perhaps even Nanao, before she came over, or after leaving your house.

As you watched the proceedings perhaps it was only really a matter of time before someone approached you. A woman with long, flowing orange locks walked up and held a tray with what looked like no less than two dozen persimmons sitting on it.

“Care for some food? Really helps calm the nerves after big stress,” she offered while holding out the tray, munching on one herself.

“Uh… sure, thanks,” you said, pulling one free and immediately digging in. You weren’t terribly hungry, but you were used to taking whatever you could get without hesitation.

“My name’s Rangiku. We heard about the big attack yesterday; did you have family that lived here?”

She must have thought that you were here to check up on a relative or something, though the reality was much scarier for you.

“No, I-” you said, already gesturing toward your home, but Rangiku missed it. She was turning to a young boy who was half-crying, already comforting him. By the time she came back up, she seemed to have forgotten all about asking you a question.

“Sorry about that, just so much going on, so many to help. And all while worrying about the Academy examinations tomorrow,” she said, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. “Would you mind helping me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but there’s not a lot else to do around here anyway, right?”

You hesitated for a moment. Well, she _was_ right. You really didn’t have much to do. On the other hand, this seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding, and you had originally decided to relax – you, after all, were the one who’d gone through the big stress around here.

**Agree to help her out: Go to Chapter 616**

**Tell her goodbye and head home: Go to Chapter 617**


	311. Chapter 311

You dashed off toward the examinations, determined to make it on time.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but you found yourself lifting weights above what you’d really been expecting. Hopefully, just maybe, the attention you were getting now was enough to make you pass. They did seem to whisper amongst themselves a little more interestedly for a bit.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve had an odd last two days, but you used them to prepare wisely. You’ve overcome the entrance exams. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 618**


	312. Chapter 312

You hadn’t done much preparation for the examination until these past two days. You decided that you needed to get some immediate work done, as sudden panic filled your mind. In fact you were so concerned it took you a minute or two to even begin calming down enough to actually start on the work.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the house and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. After that, you worked your way into basic punches, but found even more quickly than with cardio that punching a wooden wall was a little out of the realm of pain you could tolerate.

On the plus side, all the panicking definitely helped you get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the street, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. There was quite a bit of attention at first, and two of the judges muttered some comments to each other, but after a while they started to look a bit bored. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. Surprisingly, you were able to lift even heavier weights than you thought you could, and even the judges seemed quite impressed as you worked them.

There was a wooden sword in the corner, but it was a very short routine that you did. You mostly focused on repeating your exercises from the previous day, focusing on skill and precision rather than strength. Still, the fact that you used it at all seemed to impress the judges much more than your simple exercise had.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come. And… now you were not only being accepted, but put into the advanced class? This was the start of a new era for you.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. As a member of the advanced class, you know there are many hurdles and expectations ahead of you, but those will be handled in the distant future. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 619**


	313. Chapter 313

“So… would you be willing to train together? I’m not really sure how to go about it, but I learn fast. It’s gotta be better to have two people working together, right?”

The boy looked more awkward than anything. He scratched a bit at the back of his head and then sighed in a resigned manner.

“Sure, I guess… can’t hurt, and I’ll need all the help I can get…”

He didn’t say why, but you didn’t object. You gave a curt nod and a smile. “Me too. I don’t really know what the exams are going to be like, and I wasn’t sure how to prepare… I’ll try my best, though.”

He looked at you with surprise, but quickly masked it. Even afterward, though, relief was evident. This guy was acting extremely odd, like no one you’d never met before. His reactions were totally out of whack with what you were expecting, even if you were sure that he had his reasons.

“Yeah, sounds great. By the way, my name’s Shuuhei Hisagi. Let’s both make it into the Academy together, alright?”

“Sure thing,” you said with a smile.

For once, you started to think that it might actually happen.

~~~~

Hisagi traveled with you across the Rukongai to a place that he said he’d been using to prepare himself for the exams. It was in an undeveloped area; not exactly a park, but wide open and covered with enough brush to make it difficult to spot you from the main roadways.

He didn’t waste any time in getting down to business, either. While he had seemed odd when you first met him and on the way there, as soon as the both of you started training he was going all out. Hisagi took it easily on you at first, showing you the proper way to do the warm-ups, but as soon as he finished instructing you, he started doing them himself and then blew you out of the water.

To make it worse, they really didn’t seem that much like warm-ups.

To you, it was more like a fully-fledged workout, that ended up taking almost an hour on its own. He started off with sit-ups that were simple, but had your core crying out for relief. If you hadn’t been used to your stomach hurting you’d probably never have made it as long as he did; you still could only go at about half the pace, if that. When he finally called to say you were done, you collapsed to the ground and held your abdomen for several seconds, until he strolled over and offered you a hand.

You climbed up on your own, but thanked him for the assistance; you didn’t want to seem that exhausted so early on in the day when you were quite sure the rest would be even worse. Sure enough, the next “warm-up” that he started on pushed you even harder. Push-ups for as long as you could continue, which it quickly became clear was not long. Your legs had gotten plenty of exercise in running away from the people you stole from, but your arms were sadly lacking in the same degree of tone. You were able to keep up with Hisagi… for a few seconds, anyway. He seemed like he’d been doing this for weeks, maybe for months. He kept up the pace until you were down to doing them almost one every several seconds, and finally gave you a rest.

Despite your lax physical fitness, he didn’t show any signs of disappointment or annoyance with you. Maybe it was because he kept going until he worked up a sweat of his own, which you didn’t blame him for. But in fact, the longer you two went on, the greater his subtle smile seemed to grow. He talked you through the proper way to do squats, basic muscle stretches, lunges, and a variety of other quick but intensive stretches that had you working up just enough of a sweat to make you nearly relieved when he finally stopped you.

That relief was short lived when he pointed to another spot in the wooded area just across from him, and motioned for you to step over there.

“Alright, now let’s spar.”

“What with?” You asked nonchalantly, still not too concerned. You weren’t the best, but if he was as patient with you as he was with the exercises, it couldn’t be too bad.

He rubbed the back of his head and a small frown touched his face. “Well, I haven’t got much money, and I haven’t found anyone with some swords to steal… so barehanded is about all I can do for now, sorry.”

“Th-that’s fine,” you said hastily. Inside you were a little less certain. Wooden swords were what you’d hoped for; they left bruises, but that was about it, unless you got really unlucky or were facing off against an actual Shinigami. Bare knuckles on the other hand?

You squared off, hoping to come out of this with some of your dignity intact… and also your bones.

~~~~

“Not… not bad, actually.”

You didn’t think so, as you lay back against a tree with your breath coming in ragged gasps. You felt like you’d been a severe let down; in fact, during the whole fight, he’d nearly doubled the number of blows landed, and each of them felt downright crushing in comparison to the taps you’d gotten in. Worst of all, you were almost certain he’d been holding back. But you weren’t going to complain about that, at least.

“I mean it. You should’ve seen me when- when I first started,” he said with a grunt. He looked off into the distance, off toward the setting sun. “It’s getting late, so it’s as good a time to call it a stop as anyway.”

You nodded at him, but couldn’t shake something. He’d been acting weird the whole time, and while he was helpful, you couldn’t help but be a little curious. But… should you bring it up to him?

**Ask about his behavior: Go to Chapter 620**

**Just let it go: Go to Chapter 621**


	314. Chapter 314

You nodded at him.

“Well, good luck. I’m going to try out too, maybe I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, you too,” he said with a small smile, awkwardness fading a bit.

You turned and walked away, heading back toward your home. It wasn’t too far away, and in no time at all you were lounging again. You’d had enough interesting run ins for the day, and were content to while away the rest of it relaxing and enjoying yourself.

You were so relaxed that it wasn’t long before the sun started to go down and you realized how tired you were quickly becoming. Your eyes started to slowly drift to sleep, and before long, the last night before the exams was washing away before your unconscious mind.

~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 622**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 623**


	315. Chapter 315

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you wouldn’t be caught off guard by the weight of Renji and his load. You gripped Renji’s forearm tightly, your grip slipping for a moment as the full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but Renji’s panicked look turning into one of shock and relief made it worthwhile.

Renji looked toward the ground and then breathed a little sigh of relief. “That was a close one.”

Rukia’s landing was less graceful. She had fallen almost flat on her back, and the impact was a painfully resonating one, from what you could hear. You and Renji both winced at the sound, but thankfully Rukia was up after a moment, rubbing at her spine toward her waist.

“Hey! Anyone ever tell you about proper manners?! Save the woman!”

“Hey, the food’s safe,” Renji called back with a grin on his face. “I think that’s pretty good manners!”

Rukia gave a “hmph” sound, and glared at both of you the entire time she was crawling back up the tree.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Maybe you should just leave me behind altogether next time!”

“Oh, lighten up, Rukia. The fall wasn’t that bad. Besides, you’ve got plenty to cushion the fall!”

Rukia turned red with fury, but kept her voice calm as she replied. “Hah! As if I can get enough food for that with you around! It’s a miracle you didn’t already devour this whole sack while we were training, fatty!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I know everyone does, and that’s why a lot of people go for it, but it still seems kind of simple I guess. I want a good life living in the Seireitei, I want to never have to worry about my next meal. I want friends and a good home and… everything, I guess.”

“Well, you don’t have to live in the Seireitei to have friends.”

“Renji’s right, for once. I’m glad we all met up,” Rukia added with a smile. The three of you stared into the sky, enjoying the stars and the cool night for a long while.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made some good friends in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Told you I should’ve been the one that got saved,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 624**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 625**


	316. Chapter 316

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you could more firmly grab her. You wrapped your fingers around Rukia’s wrist and brought her to a sudden stop, nearly falling forward as her full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but seeing the look on the raven-haired girl’s face made it worth it.

She looked toward the ground for a moment, as if not understanding why it wasn’t getting any closer. Then she looked back up toward you and smiled gently.

“I believe that’s twice I owe you, now.”

Renji landed rather a bit less gracefully, even as you were helping Rukia ascend to the branch again. His fall was rather cushioned, though – he landed squarely on the sack full of bread that he had been lifting into the tree. You grimaced at the sound of the impact; a mixture between a thud and soft air whooshing. He grunted as he hit, but made no severe sound of anguish. He did, however, start shouting up at you.

“Hey! I’m the one carrying food, you’d think you could at least _tried_ to protect the bread.”

Rukia giggled at him, seeing that he wasn’t really hurt since the bread cushioned the fall. “Don’t mind him, _he_ doesn’t have the manners to save the one who’d actually get hurt. He never stops thinking with his stomach!”

Renji shouted something else, but you couldn’t hear it over your laughter and Rukia’s.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Renji, ease a little!”

Renji stopped glaring at you, but only to huff and look in entirely the other direction. “I still don’t see why he has to be here to begin with!”

Rukia rolled her eyes, but kept that mischievous grin on her face. “Maybe because you’re not nearly as much of a challenge to fight! If I want a real workout I have to find someone else to train with!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I know everyone does, and that’s why a lot of people go for it, but it still seems kind of simple I guess. I want a good life living in the Seireitei, I want to never have to worry about my next meal. I want friends and a good home and… everything, I guess.”

“Well, maybe you can find someone who can tolerate you there, if you can even get in.”

“Just ignore him, I always do,” Rukia said with a smile and a wink. “I’m happy to be your friend, Seireitei or no!”

There was a long silence, Renji still apparently annoyed with the two of you, and both you and Rukia happy to just sit there quietly. That being said, no one was quite ready for sleep yet, so eventually the silence was broken.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made a good friend in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Glad he saved me instead of you. It would’ve been a waste,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 626**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 627**


	317. Chapter 317

Training was the best way to go. You needed to get stronger, and the best way to do that was a solid day of hard work and sweat. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, there were other ways to train than strength - all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 628**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 629**


	318. Chapter 318

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You wanted to take a last look around, as this might very well be the last time that you got to see the Rukongai for quite some time. You doubted that they let the students of the Shinigami Academy simply wander around.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“N-no,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 630**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 631**


	319. Chapter 319

You dashed off toward the examinations, determined to make it on time.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but you found yourself lifting weights above what you’d really been expecting. Hopefully, just maybe, the attention you were getting now was enough to make you pass. They did seem to whisper amongst themselves a little more interestedly for a bit.

There was a wooden sword strewn with the weights and other equipment. Hoping that any knowledge at all would put you ahead of some of the others, you took hold of it and began to do some quick slashes and thrusts with the blade, focusing on precision and fluidity rather than brute force. It seemed to draw a fair amount of attention, actually, and perhaps you were right to think that showing skill was easier or more impressive than power.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve had an odd last two days, but you used them to prepare wisely. You’ve overcome the entrance exams. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 632**


	320. Chapter 320

You hadn’t done much preparation for the examination until these past two days. You decided that you needed to get some immediate work done, as sudden panic filled your mind. In fact you were so concerned it took you a minute or two to even begin calming down enough to actually start on the work.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the house and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. After that, you worked your way into basic punches, but found even more quickly than with cardio that punching a wooden wall was a little out of the realm of pain you could tolerate.

On the plus side, all the panicking definitely helped you get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the street, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. There was quite a bit of attention at first, and two of the judges muttered some comments to each other, but after a while they started to look a bit bored. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. Surprisingly, you were able to lift even heavier weights than you thought you could, and even the judges seemed quite impressed as you worked them.

There was a wooden sword in the corner, but it was a very short routine that you did. You mostly focused on repeating your exercises from the previous day, focusing on skill and precision rather than strength. Still, the fact that you used it at all seemed to impress the judges much more than your simple exercise had.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come. And… now you were not only being accepted, but put into the advanced class? This was the start of a new era for you.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. As a member of the advanced class, you know there are many hurdles and expectations ahead of you, but those will be handled in the distant future. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 633**


	321. Chapter 321

“So… would you be willing to train together? I’m not really sure how to go about it, but I learn fast. It’s gotta be better to have two people working together, right?”

The boy looked more awkward than anything. He scratched a bit at the back of his head and then sighed in a resigned manner.

“Sure, I guess… can’t hurt, and I’ll need all the help I can get…”

He didn’t say why, but you didn’t object. You gave a curt nod and a smile. “Me too. I don’t really know what the exams are going to be like, and I wasn’t sure how to prepare… I’ll try my best, though.”

He looked at you with surprise, but quickly masked it. Even afterward, though, relief was evident. This guy was acting extremely odd, like no one you’d never met before. His reactions were totally out of whack with what you were expecting, even if you were sure that he had his reasons.

“Yeah, sounds great. By the way, my name’s Shuuhei Hisagi. Let’s both make it into the Academy together, alright?”

“Sure thing,” you said with a smile.

For once, you started to think that it might actually happen.

~~~~

Hisagi traveled with you across the Rukongai to a place that he said he’d been using to prepare himself for the exams. It was in an undeveloped area; not exactly a park, but wide open and covered with enough brush to make it difficult to spot you from the main roadways.

He didn’t waste any time in getting down to business, either. While he had seemed odd when you first met him and on the way there, as soon as the both of you started training he was going all out. Hisagi took it easily on you at first, showing you the proper way to do the warm-ups, but as soon as he finished instructing you, he started doing them himself and then blew you out of the water.

To make it worse, they really didn’t seem that much like warm-ups.

To you, it was more like a fully-fledged workout, that ended up taking almost an hour on its own. He started off with sit-ups that were simple, but had your core crying out for relief. If you hadn’t been used to your stomach hurting you’d probably never have made it as long as he did; you still could only go at about half the pace, if that. When he finally called to say you were done, you collapsed to the ground and held your abdomen for several seconds, until he strolled over and offered you a hand.

You climbed up on your own, but thanked him for the assistance; you didn’t want to seem that exhausted so early on in the day when you were quite sure the rest would be even worse. Sure enough, the next “warm-up” that he started on pushed you even harder. Push-ups for as long as you could continue, which it quickly became clear was not long. Your legs had gotten plenty of exercise in running away from the people you stole from, but your arms were sadly lacking in the same degree of tone. You were able to keep up with Hisagi… for a few seconds, anyway. He seemed like he’d been doing this for weeks, maybe for months. He kept up the pace until you were down to doing them almost one every several seconds, and finally gave you a rest.

Despite your lax physical fitness, he didn’t show any signs of disappointment or annoyance with you. Maybe it was because he kept going until he worked up a sweat of his own, which you didn’t blame him for. But in fact, the longer you two went on, the greater his subtle smile seemed to grow. He talked you through the proper way to do squats, basic muscle stretches, lunges, and a variety of other quick but intensive stretches that had you working up just enough of a sweat to make you nearly relieved when he finally stopped you.

That relief was short lived when he pointed to another spot in the wooded area just across from him, and motioned for you to step over there.

“Alright, now let’s spar.”

“What with?” You asked nonchalantly, still not too concerned. You weren’t the best, but if he was as patient with you as he was with the exercises, it couldn’t be too bad.

He rubbed the back of his head and a small frown touched his face. “Well, I haven’t got much money, and I haven’t found anyone with some swords to steal… so barehanded is about all I can do for now, sorry.”

“Th-that’s fine,” you said hastily. Inside you were a little less certain. Wooden swords were what you’d hoped for; they left bruises, but that was about it, unless you got really unlucky or were facing off against an actual Shinigami. Bare knuckles on the other hand?

You squared off, hoping to come out of this with some of your dignity intact… and also your bones.

~~~~

“Not… not bad, actually.”

You didn’t think so, as you lay back against a tree with your breath coming in ragged gasps. You felt like you’d been a severe let down; in fact, during the whole fight, he’d nearly doubled the number of blows landed, and each of them felt downright crushing in comparison to the taps you’d gotten in. Worst of all, you were almost certain he’d been holding back. But you weren’t going to complain about that, at least.

“I mean it. You should’ve seen me when- when I first started,” he said with a grunt. He looked off into the distance, off toward the setting sun. “It’s getting late, so it’s as good a time to call it a stop as anyway.”

You nodded at him, but couldn’t shake something. He’d been acting weird the whole time, and while he was helpful, you couldn’t help but be a little curious. But… should you bring it up to him?

**Ask about his behavior: Go to Chapter 634**

**Just let it go: Go to Chapter 635**


	322. Chapter 322

You nodded at him.

“Well, good luck. I’m going to try out too, maybe I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, you too,” he said with a small smile, awkwardness fading a bit.

You turned and walked away, heading back toward your home. It wasn’t too far away, and in no time at all you were lounging again. You’d had enough interesting run ins for the day, and were content to while away the rest of it relaxing and enjoying yourself.

You were so relaxed that it wasn’t long before the sun started to go down and you realized how tired you were quickly becoming. Your eyes started to slowly drift to sleep, and before long, the last night before the exams was washing away before your unconscious mind.

~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 636**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 637**


	323. Chapter 323

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you wouldn’t be caught off guard by the weight of Renji and his load. You gripped Renji’s forearm tightly, your grip slipping for a moment as the full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but Renji’s panicked look turning into one of shock and relief made it worthwhile.

Renji looked toward the ground and then breathed a little sigh of relief. “That was a close one.”

Rukia’s landing was less graceful. She had fallen almost flat on her back, and the impact was a painfully resonating one, from what you could hear. You and Renji both winced at the sound, but thankfully Rukia was up after a moment, rubbing at her spine toward her waist.

“Hey! Anyone ever tell you about proper manners?! Save the woman!”

“Hey, the food’s safe,” Renji called back with a grin on his face. “I think that’s pretty good manners!”

Rukia gave a “hmph” sound, and glared at both of you the entire time she was crawling back up the tree.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Maybe you should just leave me behind altogether next time!”

“Oh, lighten up, Rukia. The fall wasn’t that bad. Besides, you’ve got plenty to cushion the fall!”

Rukia turned red with fury, but kept her voice calm as she replied. “Hah! As if I can get enough food for that with you around! It’s a miracle you didn’t already devour this whole sack while we were training, fatty!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I guess everyone wants that. Past that, I kind of wanted to be powerful you know? I spent my whole life out here in the Rukongai living on what I could steal, what I could find, what I could scavenge. I want to be strong enough to control my own fate. On top of that… I want money. A lot of it. I want to be able to never have to worry about it again, actually. The Shinigami get all that, and respect. A lot of it.”

“That’s… pretty simple, I guess,” Rukia said, a skeptical look on her face.

“That’s the right idea,” Renji chimed in. “Especially after the hand we all got dealt living out here.”

“I’m glad we all met up,” Rukia added with a smile. The three of you stared into the sky, enjoying the stars and the cool night for a long while.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made some good friends in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Told you I should’ve been the one that got saved,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 638**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 639**


	324. Chapter 324

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you could more firmly grab her. You wrapped your fingers around Rukia’s wrist and brought her to a sudden stop, nearly falling forward as her full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but seeing the look on the raven-haired girl’s face made it worth it.

She looked toward the ground for a moment, as if not understanding why it wasn’t getting any closer. Then she looked back up toward you and smiled gently.

“I believe that’s twice I owe you, now.”

Renji landed rather a bit less gracefully, even as you were helping Rukia ascend to the branch again. His fall was rather cushioned, though – he landed squarely on the sack full of bread that he had been lifting into the tree. You grimaced at the sound of the impact; a mixture between a thud and soft air whooshing. He grunted as he hit, but made no severe sound of anguish. He did, however, start shouting up at you.

“Hey! I’m the one carrying food, you’d think you could at least _tried_ to protect the bread.”

Rukia giggled at him, seeing that he wasn’t really hurt since the bread cushioned the fall. “Don’t mind him, _he_ doesn’t have the manners to save the one who’d actually get hurt. He never stops thinking with his stomach!”

Renji shouted something else, but you couldn’t hear it over your laughter and Rukia’s.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Renji, ease up a little!”

Renji stopped glaring at you, but only to huff and look in entirely the other direction. “I still don’t see why that idiot has to be here to begin with!”

Rukia rolled her eyes, but kept that mischievous grin on her face. “Maybe because you’re not nearly as much of a challenge to fight! If I want a real workout I have to find someone else to train with!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I guess everyone wants that. Past that, I kind of wanted to be powerful you know? I spent my whole life out here in the Rukongai living on what I could steal, what I could find, what I could scavenge. I want to be strong enough to control my own fate. On top of that… I want money. A lot of it. I want to be able to never have to worry about it again, actually. The Shinigami get all that, and respect. A lot of it. I want to be a Captain, one day.”

“That’s… pretty simple, I guess, but pretty grand,” Rukia said, a surprised look on her face.

“Bah, just a big dream he’ll never achieve. This one’ll be lucky to make it as a Shinigami, much less a Captain!.”

“Oh, hush Renji. Stop being so gloomy. You may be in a bad mood but I’m really happy with how things have turned out. I’m glad we all met up,” Rukia added with a smile. The three of you stared into the sky, enjoying the stars and the cool night for a long while.

There was a long silence, Renji still apparently annoyed with the two of you, and both you and Rukia happy to just sit there quietly. That being said, no one was quite ready for sleep yet, so eventually the silence was broken.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made a good friend in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Glad he saved me instead of you. It would’ve been a waste,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 640**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 641**


	325. Chapter 325

Training was the best way to go. You needed to get stronger, and the best way to do that was a solid day of hard work and sweat. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, there were other ways to train than strength - all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 642**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 643**


	326. Chapter 326

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You wanted to take a last look around, as this might very well be the last time that you got to see the Rukongai for quite some time. You doubted that they let the students of the Shinigami Academy simply wander around.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“N-no,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 644**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 645**


	327. Chapter 327

“Actually, I think I’m going to stay here for a while,” you said with a smile at Rukia. “I want to train a little more, make sure I’m really ready. I promise I’ll make it there before I’m… _too_ late.”

“You heard ‘em Rukia, come on, let’s go get ourselves accepted. We’re not gonna fail!”

Rukia looked back but ended up shrugging. “Alright, if that’s what you want. Just make sure you get there on time, wouldn’t want you to be left behind!”

You nodded and started to focus a little bit more. It was time to get started. As they walked off into the distance, you made a note of the direction so you wouldn’t get lost later, and began your exercises.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the park and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. Resting between matches was all that had kept you going the previous day for as long as you had, honestly. When you had to stop to make sure you still had some energy for later, you started doing some basic punches. You tried doing them against trees, but that hurt far too much and drew blood on several of your knuckles – you’d be in no condition to repeat the actions later, that was for sure, so you settled for punching the air. You felt like you were making a lot less progress than yesterday, with others around to help… would this really be enough to make the difference between getting in and failing?

On the plus side, all the worrying about the exams helped get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the streets, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

_”I’m on my way, Rukia, Renji. Let’s all be Shinigami together!”_

~~~~~~

Rukia and Renji must have already gone through by the time you arrived, and with people funneling in one by one into the examination rooms, you didn’t have time to search for them in the crowd. Maybe they were already inside the Academy, too, so there wasn’t much point in worrying about it. And so you found yourself in the examination room alone, staring down the examiners gathered before you.

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and realized with a start that even these weren’t dragging you to the floor. You did several repetitions with them, wondering how much good the exercise of the previous two days had really done you.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 646**


	328. Chapter 328

You nodded at her sarcastic remark with a silly grin. “Sure thing. Let’s go!”

The three of you took off at a pace somewhere between a fast and slow walk, too excited to go any slower but with enough time that you didn’t have to worry about being there on time.

“What do you think it will be like?” You asked, curious what you were getting yourself into.

“Probably just a test to make sure you’re tough enough. They say any soul can become a Shinigami, as long as they’ve got the power. So, in other words, you’re screwed,” Renji said with a sneer.

“Considering how well he did by the end of yesterday, I think he’s got a better shot than you, Renji,” Rukia replied, adding a raspberry to emphasize the point.

The camaraderie was enough to make all of you ease up a little, and your pace slowly, eventually started to become more of a crawl. But it still seemed all too soon when the three of you were standing in front of the building in a long line of examinees, anxiously awaiting your own turns.

“I’m going first, I’ll set the bar,” Renji said confidently when you finally reached the front. He strode in with a self-assuredness that would surely get him in, if he had even half the skill needed to back it up.

“And we’ll vault it,” Rukia said when Renji vanished. It was quite a shock to you just how seriously she was taking this if she didn’t want to distract him by talking to him. You wondered for a moment if this was going to work out… but no, with your new friends, you felt like you could surely take this on.

Rukia was the next to go. Before she vanished, she looked back at you and mouthed the words “good luck” as she was escorted inside. You nodded back at her, “you too” barely a whisper above the noise of the crowd gathered behind you.

All alone, it seemed like an eternity before you finally made it inside.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and started working out, pushing yourself to the limit. The judges seemed very impressed; you used that as motivation to keep working your tiring muscles harder.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 647**


	329. Chapter 329

“Actually, I think I’m going to stay here for a while,” you said with a smile at Rukia. “I want to train a little more, make sure I’m really ready. I promise I’ll make it there before I’m… _too_ late.”

Renji gave you a quick glance and then shrugged. “You heard ‘em Rukia, come on, let’s go get ourselves accepted. You’d better not be late and fail because you couldn’t watch a damn sun!”

Rukia looked back but ended up shrugging. “Alright, if that’s what you want. Just make sure you get there on time, you wouldn’t want to be left behind!”

You nodded and started to focus a little bit more. It was time to get started. As they walked off into the distance, you made a note of the direction so you wouldn’t get lost later, and began your exercises.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the park and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. Resting between matches was all that had kept you going the previous day for as long as you had, honestly. When you had to stop to make sure you still had some energy for later, you started doing some basic punches. You tried doing them against trees, but that hurt far too much and drew blood on several of your knuckles – you’d be in no condition to repeat the actions later, that was for sure, so you settled for punching the air. You felt like you were making a lot less progress than yesterday, with others around to help… would this really be enough to make the difference between getting in and failing?

On the plus side, all the worrying about the exams helped get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the streets, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

_”I’m on my way, Rukia, Renji. Let’s all be Shinigami together!”_

~~~~~~

Rukia and Renji must have already gone through by the time you arrived, and with people funneling in one by one into the examination rooms, you didn’t have time to search for them in the crowd. Maybe they were already inside the Academy, too, so there wasn’t much point in worrying about it. And so you found yourself in the examination room alone, staring down the examiners gathered before you.

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and realized with a start that even these weren’t dragging you to the floor. You did several repetitions with them, wondering how much good the exercise of the previous two days had really done you.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 648**


	330. Chapter 330

You nodded at her sarcastic remark with a silly grin. “Sure thing. Let’s go!”

The three of you took off at a pace somewhere between a fast and slow walk, too excited to go any slower but with enough time that you didn’t have to worry about being there on time.

“What do you think it will be like?” You asked, curious what you were getting yourself into.

“Probably just a test to make sure you’re tough enough. They say any soul can become a Shinigami, as long as they’ve got the power. So you’d better not have been slacking off before you met us,” Renji said with a cocky grin.

“Considering how well he did by the end of yesterday, I think he’s got a better shot than you, Renji,” Rukia replied, sticking out her tongue at Renji to add to the point.

The camaraderie was enough to make all of you ease up a little, and your pace slowly, eventually started to become more of a crawl. But it still seemed all too soon when the three of you were standing in front of the building in a long line of examinees, anxiously awaiting your own turns.

“I’m going first, I’ll set the bar,” Renji said confidently when you finally reached the front. He strode in with a self-assuredness that would surely get him in, if he had even half the skill needed to back it up.

“And we’ll vault it,” Rukia said when Renji vanished. It was quite a shock to you just how seriously she was taking this if she didn’t want to distract him by talking to him. You wondered for a moment if this was going to work out… but no, with your new friends, you felt like you could surely take this on.

Rukia was the next to go. Before she vanished, she looked back at you and mouthed the words “good luck” as she was escorted inside. You nodded back at her, “you too” barely a whisper above the noise of the crowd gathered behind you.

All alone, it seemed like an eternity before you finally made it inside.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and started working out, pushing yourself to the limit. The judges seemed very impressed; you used that as motivation to keep working your tiring muscles harder.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 649**


	331. Chapter 331

You dashed off toward the examinations, determined to make it on time.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but you found yourself lifting weights above what you’d really been expecting. Hopefully, just maybe, the attention you were getting now was enough to make you pass. They did seem to whisper amongst themselves a little more interestedly for a bit.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve had an odd last two days, but you used them to prepare wisely. You’ve overcome the entrance exams. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 650**


	332. Chapter 332

You hadn’t done much preparation for the examination until these past two days. You decided that you needed to get some immediate work done, as sudden panic filled your mind. In fact you were so concerned it took you a minute or two to even begin calming down enough to actually start on the work.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the house and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. After that, you worked your way into basic punches, but found even more quickly than with cardio that punching a wooden wall was a little out of the realm of pain you could tolerate.

On the plus side, all the panicking definitely helped you get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the street, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. There was quite a bit of attention at first, and two of the judges muttered some comments to each other, but after a while they started to look a bit bored. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. Surprisingly, you were able to lift even heavier weights than you thought you could, and even the judges seemed quite impressed as you worked them.

There was a wooden sword in the corner, but it was a very short routine that you did. You mostly focused on repeating your exercises from the previous day, focusing on skill and precision rather than strength. Still, the fact that you used it at all seemed to impress the judges much more than your simple exercise had.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come. And… now you were not only being accepted, but put into the advanced class? This was the start of a new era for you.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. As a member of the advanced class, you know there are many hurdles and expectations ahead of you, but those will be handled in the distant future. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 651**


	333. Chapter 333

“So… would you be willing to train together? I’m not really sure how to go about it, but I learn fast. It’s gotta be better to have two people working together, right?”

The boy looked more awkward than anything. He scratched a bit at the back of his head and then sighed in a resigned manner.

“Sure, I guess… can’t hurt, and I’ll need all the help I can get…”

He didn’t say why, but you didn’t object. You gave a curt nod and a smile. “Me too. I don’t really know what the exams are going to be like, and I wasn’t sure how to prepare… I’ll try my best, though.”

He looked at you with surprise, but quickly masked it. Even afterward, though, relief was evident. This guy was acting extremely odd, like no one you’d never met before. His reactions were totally out of whack with what you were expecting, even if you were sure that he had his reasons.

“Yeah, sounds great. By the way, my name’s Shuuhei Hisagi. Let’s both make it into the Academy together, alright?”

“Sure thing,” you said with a smile.

For once, you started to think that it might actually happen.

~~~~

Hisagi traveled with you across the Rukongai to a place that he said he’d been using to prepare himself for the exams. It was in an undeveloped area; not exactly a park, but wide open and covered with enough brush to make it difficult to spot you from the main roadways.

He didn’t waste any time in getting down to business, either. While he had seemed odd when you first met him and on the way there, as soon as the both of you started training he was going all out. Hisagi took it easily on you at first, showing you the proper way to do the warm-ups, but as soon as he finished instructing you, he started doing them himself and then blew you out of the water.

To make it worse, they really didn’t seem that much like warm-ups.

To you, it was more like a fully-fledged workout, that ended up taking almost an hour on its own. He started off with sit-ups that were simple, but had your core crying out for relief. If you hadn’t been used to your stomach hurting you’d probably never have made it as long as he did; you still could only go at about half the pace, if that. When he finally called to say you were done, you collapsed to the ground and held your abdomen for several seconds, until he strolled over and offered you a hand.

You climbed up on your own, but thanked him for the assistance; you didn’t want to seem that exhausted so early on in the day when you were quite sure the rest would be even worse. Sure enough, the next “warm-up” that he started on pushed you even harder. Push-ups for as long as you could continue, which it quickly became clear was not long. Your legs had gotten plenty of exercise in running away from the people you stole from, but your arms were sadly lacking in the same degree of tone. You were able to keep up with Hisagi… for a few seconds, anyway. He seemed like he’d been doing this for weeks, maybe for months. He kept up the pace until you were down to doing them almost one every several seconds, and finally gave you a rest.

Despite your lax physical fitness, he didn’t show any signs of disappointment or annoyance with you. Maybe it was because he kept going until he worked up a sweat of his own, which you didn’t blame him for. But in fact, the longer you two went on, the greater his subtle smile seemed to grow. He talked you through the proper way to do squats, basic muscle stretches, lunges, and a variety of other quick but intensive stretches that had you working up just enough of a sweat to make you nearly relieved when he finally stopped you.

That relief was short lived when he pointed to another spot in the wooded area just across from him, and motioned for you to step over there.

“Alright, now let’s spar.”

“What with?” You asked nonchalantly, still not too concerned. You weren’t the best, but if he was as patient with you as he was with the exercises, it couldn’t be too bad.

He rubbed the back of his head and a small frown touched his face. “Well, I haven’t got much money, and I haven’t found anyone with some swords to steal… so barehanded is about all I can do for now, sorry.”

“Th-that’s fine,” you said hastily. Inside you were a little less certain. Wooden swords were what you’d hoped for; they left bruises, but that was about it, unless you got really unlucky or were facing off against an actual Shinigami. Bare knuckles on the other hand?

You squared off, hoping to come out of this with some of your dignity intact… and also your bones.

~~~~

“Not… not bad, actually.”

You didn’t think so, as you lay back against a tree with your breath coming in ragged gasps. You felt like you’d been a severe let down; in fact, during the whole fight, he’d nearly doubled the number of blows landed, and each of them felt downright crushing in comparison to the taps you’d gotten in. Worst of all, you were almost certain he’d been holding back. But you weren’t going to complain about that, at least.

“I mean it. You should’ve seen me when- when I first started,” he said with a grunt. He looked off into the distance, off toward the setting sun. “It’s getting late, so it’s as good a time to call it a stop as anyway.”

You nodded at him, but couldn’t shake something. He’d been acting weird the whole time, and while he was helpful, you couldn’t help but be a little curious. But… should you bring it up to him?

**Ask about his behavior: Go to Chapter 652**

**Just let it go: Go to Chapter 653**


	334. Chapter 334

You nodded at him.

“Well, good luck. I’m going to try out too, maybe I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, you too,” he said with a small smile, awkwardness fading a bit.

You turned and walked away, heading back toward your home. It wasn’t too far away, and in no time at all you were lounging again. You’d had enough interesting run ins for the day, and were content to while away the rest of it relaxing and enjoying yourself.

You were so relaxed that it wasn’t long before the sun started to go down and you realized how tired you were quickly becoming. Your eyes started to slowly drift to sleep, and before long, the last night before the exams was washing away before your unconscious mind.

~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 654**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 655**


	335. Chapter 335

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to focus a little more on actual skill, and a little bit less on power. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to remember every little correction she had made to your movements. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 656**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 657**


	336. Chapter 336

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. You idly turned the dream you’d had last night over and over in your head, the image of the woman somehow comforting. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 658**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 659**


	337. Chapter 337

“Hey, I know this is kind of awkward but… would you like to train with me?”

Kira looked at you in a bit of confusion, probably because… well, to be quite honest, it was pretty weird for you to run into someone in a cemetery, half-eavesdrop on them, and then try to make friends with them. Not exactly your average day in the park/cemetery.

“Uh, sure, that sounds… fine?” Even Kira seemed a bit unsure of himself, rubbing the back of his head. Perhaps it was to your advantage that it was such an unusual request; shock and awe was always a nice tactic.

“Great. So, uh, what did you have in mind?”

Kira looked around for a brief moment and then sighed.

“I… think we should find somewhere else, first.”

~~~~

The nearby park was your destination. Far enough away from Renji and Rukia that you couldn’t see them, though occasionally a loud grunt or the sound of wooden blades clacking together would reach your ears. Kira had found a clearing that seemed wide enough for two people to move around without hitting each other or the trees, but certainly not big enough for running or a really intense exercise session. You were a little unsure of what you were doing, especially when he sat down cross-legged.

“I’m sorry, what are you doing?”

Kira opened one of his closed eyes and looked up at you. The idea that you weren’t sure what to do had apparently not occurred to him until then.

“I- sorry, you’re from around here, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean by that?” You weren’t sure whether that was an offensive question or not. Wasn’t he from around here? Wasn’t everyone?

“N-never mind. Here, come sit for a moment. I’ll show you how to focus your Reiatsu.”

~~~~

The next few hours of the day were spent in earnest effort, learning about spiritual energy. Kira seemed to know a huge amount about the topic when compared to almost anyone else in the Rukongai; he was experienced enough to teach you how to begin manipulating your energies and knowledgeable enough to spot any mistakes you made reasonably quickly. It was kind of complicated, or so he expounded, because everyone manipulated their energy a little differently because of basic differences in Spirit Pressure, but the general concept was the same.

You weren’t sure what good it was going to do, but you were surprised when he told you that increasing your control over Spiritual Pressure was actually a fantastic way to increase your strength. The more you brought out, the more you were able to use, and the better your control the more efficient you could become at using it. It all went a little over your head – you’d never even heard the term Spirit Pressure before except on very rare occasions – but by the strange feeling you got by the time the sun was starting to set, you began to think that it was working.

“I think we’d best call it a day. If we don’t we’ll be too sore and stiff to even try out for the Academy tomorrow,” Kira said after a time, smiling at you as he stood up and stretched.

You were grateful for the break from focusing, if a bit sorry for your selfishness in the training he’d chosen to do. You had a bit of a headache starting, and you were deceptively exhausted for how little you felt like you had been doing. “Thanks again for all this. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to do more for you.”

“Not at all, you did excellently,” Kira said with a smile. “I usually don’t push myself. Seeing how hard you were trying to grasp it really inspired me.”

Well, at least he was telling you that you had a long way to go in a _nice_ way, right? You gave him another smile and said your goodbyes quickly, before heading home at a reasonable pace, stretching your weary legs with every step. You did feel stronger, although you suspected it might have been in your imagination, but you really regretted not moving around more during the training…

~~~~

When you awoke, the morning sun was rising – in fact, it was rising a little too quickly. Your eyelids fluttered open and adrenaline surged through your veins. You barely even remembered falling asleep, but… the test was in only an hour! That wasn’t much time, and you had hoped to prepare, at least a little bit, before rushing off. You scanned what little you remembered hearing about the exam in your memories from the information you’d been able to gather. It was at least a forty minute walk to the examination… and twenty minutes of spare time wasn’t enough time to do much, if anything.

You had to decide – was it more important to risk being late, and potentially upsetting the examiners, if you got in at all? Or was the extra strength more than being on time could’ve won you?

**Cram in some last-minute training: Go to Chapter 660**

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 661**


	338. Chapter 338

“Hey, sorry about dropping in on you like that, I hope we both become Shinigami!” You said to Kira, escaping the conversation as soon as he’d given you a few more words and you’d said a proper goodbye. You rushed across the park to where Renji and Rukia were arguing and waited a few feet away until they had a break in their shouting match long enough for you to break in.

“Hey, long time no see,” you said casually, hoping to distract them from their argument as well as introducing yourself to the two.

“Oh, hey, I remember you!” Rukia said with a smile, as if totally forgetting her qualm with Renji.

“Hey, don’t change the subject!” Renji shouted, ignoring both you and her shift of topic.

“I saw you two over here, I figured I would see what you were up to. I’ve been looking for information on the Shinigami Academy entrance exams, but… no luck, so far.” You punctuated the statement with a shrug, as if you hadn’t really been expecting results at all.

“Well, we just got here a few minutes ago because _somebody_ got us majorly lost on the way… we were actually about to start training here. Maybe you could join us? I wouldn’t mind an excuse to spend less time with this pig-headed oaf anyway.”

“It wasn’t my fault! You didn’t tell me we were in district 87; I thought we were in 78!”

“How did you get 9 districts off in the first place?! I shouldn’t have to explain it to you!” Rukia poked Renji in the forehead so hard you thought for sure they were about to go to blows, but as soon as Renji got ready for action, she turned back to you with a once-again-blissfully-ignorant smile and held out a hand that was gripping a wooden sword.

“So, wanna train with us?”

“Sure, sounds awesome!” You gave a thumbs up and took the sword from her hand, much to the chagrin of the redheaded boy who was still trying very hard to get Rukia to fight him.

“Told you we’d need a third sword,” Rukia said with a sly smirk, finally turning back to Renji just to deliver more taunts. “I’m just right about _everything_ today, like always!”

“Whatever, you had no idea he was just gonna show up like that!” Renji called back. Despite his earlier behavior, he seemed to hold surprisingly little animosity toward you – perhaps he’d focused too much of it on Rukia. “Hope you’re at least decent with a blade. You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she took up a stance directly in front of you. You awkwardly tried to mimic the stance, hoping it didn’t show that you’d never even touched a sword in real practice, while she grinned at you the whole time. “He threw himself at a shopkeeper without hesitating; I want to see what he can really do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness through, as Rukia grinned and threw herself toward you.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 662**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 663**


	339. Chapter 339

“Hey, sorry about dropping in on you like that, I hope we both become Shinigami!” You said to Kira, escaping the conversation as soon as he’d given you a few more words and you’d said a proper goodbye.

You simply shrugged as you headed home. It had been a bit of a waste of a day; by the time you returned home the sun was already setting, too late for you to really do too much. But there was not much you could do about it now. At this point, the most important thing to do was get a good night’s rest and make sure you were ready for tomorrow. You sighed and laid down on the floor of your dingy apartment, hoping against hope that today was your last day of this dangerous and lonely life.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When you awoke, the morning sun was rising – in fact, it was rising a little too quickly. Your eyelids fluttered open and adrenaline surged through your veins. You barely even remembered falling asleep, but… the test was in only an hour! That wasn’t much time, and you had hoped to prepare, at least a little bit, before rushing off. You scanned what little you remembered hearing about the exam in your memories from the information you’d been able to gather. It was at least a forty minute walk to the examination… and twenty minutes of spare time wasn’t enough time to do much, if anything.

You had to decide – was it more important to risk being late, and potentially upsetting the examiners, if you got in at all? Or was the extra strength more than being on time could’ve won you?

**Cram in some last-minute training: Go to Chapter 664**

**Go straight to the exams: Go to Chapter 665**


	340. Chapter 340

You knew there was something off about these two; there had to be. While normally fighting a girl who looked even younger than you was something you’d consider a last resort (unless food was being stolen, in which case all bets were off in the Rukongai), they put you on edge – and in a strange way you weren’t quite sure of, excited you. They seemed powerful. And so, as you cocked back your fist, you did so with no regret.

That changed when you were punted across the room after your hit failed to… well, hit.

You barely realized what had happened – if Yachiru had moved a little bit faster you were sure you wouldn’t have. She’d ducked the blow and swept upward with a leg that impacted with so much force you were sure you’d met many full-grown men who couldn’t hit that hard. As you bounced off of a shaky wall and landed on the ground, one thought flashed through your mind:

_If she was this strong, just how powerful was the guy she was with?!_

“Don’t you kids do any training at all anymore?” Kenpachi asked, staring at the ceiling as if utterly exasperated by that one room.

“Nothing… like that…” you said quietly, trying to keep yourself from hyperventilating. You’d very nearly had the wind knocked completely out of you by that one kick. But you weren’t going to stop. The blow had ignited something in you, and if this was the kind of person that you were going to be up against in the examinations, you damn sure weren’t going to go down without a fight.

You charged back at her, this time readying yourself to take the hit. By how fast she’d moved before you knew you wouldn’t be able to dodge, so instead you settled on blocking and absorbing the blow. She threw a punch to counter your movement, and it hit both of your crossed arms almost perfectly. Yachiru must not have been worried about you withstanding it; the blow held about a third as much strength as the kick and didn’t bother going around your defenses. With your stance and readiness this time, though, you were able to withstand it, and you lashed out quickly, pulling your left arm out from behind your right and punching wildly.

It was a weak blow, rapid and desperate, but at least it hit – barely. Yachiru leaned to the right but the blow still brushed her shoulder. That was about all you really accomplished. Then there was a knee in your gut and you were on the ground again.

“That’s enough Yachiru. It’s not even a challenge.”

“W-wait, I can keep going,” you said, struggling to your feet.

Kenpachi said nothing, but you threw yourself into the fray again, lashing out at the girl. Now that you knew she was obviously _very_ capable of defending herself you were holding nothing back, throwing blow after blow. She went on the defensive, but you couldn’t help but feel it was more for her own amusement than anything else.

After several minutes she put an end to it, the hard way. A fist connected with your forehead so solidly you felt it reverberate through your spine, knocking you to the floor. This time, you didn’t get back up immediately.

“Wow, you can really take a punch!” Yachiru shouted with glee. “Kenny doesn’t usually let me have the fun, thanks! Now, take us to candy!”

“Bah, barely worth calling a fight,” Kenpachi muttered more to himself than anything else before picking his voice up, “but at least you cheered her up. Now come on, you’ve got a candy store to take us to.”

You shrugged while still on the ground, barely managing to pull yourself to your feet before they were out the door. You had three districts to cross, and there was a long day ahead of you beyond that. You needed to prepare… Shinigami Academy examinations were tomorrow, and that meant you needed to find some way to train besides just getting beaten up.

The trip was mostly quiet other than the occasional squeals or even songs from Yachiru. And not just because Kenpachi was a quiet man – everything seemed to go quiet when he was around. People stepped into their homes, others turned off the road entirely, even shopkeepers stood in silent watch as he went through. The man seemed to have a reputation… or perhaps his aura was simply that intimidating. Suddenly, having the courage to stand up to him when he shouted at you made you feel a bit more bold. You smiled as you walked, surprisingly unconcerned for someone who was traveling with a sword-wielding stranger whose reputation seemed to indicate a serial killer.

It took a while, but the sight of the semi-familiar sign eventually came into view. Quite a relief, actually… you’d been lost for the past thirty minutes. You hadn’t come to the forty-ninth district in almost a year. Kenpachi and Yachiru went in alone while you thanked your lucky stars that they had worse sense of direction than you. You did manage to flag someone down while they were inside, and found out tomorrow’s examinations were being held in district forty-six, or at least that was the location closest to here. They emerged a few minutes later, Yachiru’s (tiny) arms loaded with candy. You didn’t ask how (if) they paid.

“Thanks for showing us the way,” Yachiru said, smirking as she engulfed a lollipop the size of her head.

“Nnh,” Kenpachi grunted, giving you a nod. Then he turned toward Seireitei, walking at a brisk pace. You fell in behind him – and between Yachiru’s focus on her sweets and his indifference to the world around them, it took a full thirty seconds before he turned around and raised an eyebrow at you.

“Why are you following us? You got us here, Yachiru trained you. We’re done,” he said with a sigh.

“I- I’m not following you, actually,” you said quietly, rubbing the back of your head. “I want to become a Shinigami, remember? The nearest examination is in district 46, the same way you’re going.”

“Kenny wath going the righth thway?!” Yachiru shouted, eyes wide, words muffled by her stuffed mouth.

“Don’t act like it was such a surprise!” Kenpachi said, low and annoyed.

Yachiru pulled the lollipop free with an audible “pop” sound. “We were looking for a candy store for three whole weeks!”

“At least you’re not whining anymore,” Kenpachi growled, but he didn’t seem to be complaining as much as he said he was. Yachiru was happy, and if he really cared about her, you guessed that was making him happy.

“Anyway… I guess I could give you guys a head start if you wanted?” You were really hoping he wouldn’t ask you to let him go ahead of you.

“Tch, do whatever, I could care less, but you’re not our problem,” he said before turning and beginning to walk. You did your best to keep up with him as the three of you trekked across Rukongai.

~~~~~

The trip was as uneventful as you could’ve hoped. Between the fact that you had entered the less dangerous areas of the Rukongai and the fact that one of the most intimidating men around was in your company, nothing really happened. Yachiru was too busy eating to talk now, so despite the comfort and safety, it was a bit awkward.

You didn’t make it to the forty-sixth district. As the sun was setting Kenpachi decided that he would stop for the day, somewhere in the middle of the forty-seventh. It had been a long day with a lot of walking, and although you were disappointed that you hadn’t made it all the way, at least nothing bad had happened to you.

Kenpachi and Yachiru followed through with the same plan as before – finding an empty home and barging their way in forcefully. You decided that, based on his words, you weren’t technically supposed to be part of his party so instead you made your way to the opposite side of the street and, upon finding no empty homes, made your way into an alley and lodged yourself in a pile of empty boxes, hoping you were concealed.

You had just settled in for a semi-uncomfortable night of sleep when Kenpachi’s booming voice carried across the empty street.

“Come in here!”

You knew he had to be talking to you; there was nobody else around that he knew that was outside. You stood up slowly, rubbing your stiff legs as you stumbled over to the house and peered in.

Kenpachi was sitting there cross-legged with his sword sitting blade-down in his lap with the handle across his shoulder. When he saw you he jerked his head toward the pink-haired girl.

“Fight her again. I need some kind of entertainment or I’ll never get to sleep.”

Another round? You were still pretty sore from the first one – bruises had been forming on your body all day. Then again, fighting experience could be pretty handy when it came down to it. And the entrance exams were tomorrow…

**Fight Yachiru: Go to Chapter 666**

**Go back to sleep, rest for tomorrow: Go to Chapter 667**


	341. Chapter 341

You weren’t going to fight her! She was a little girl! Now, granted, there were plenty of young girls in the Rukongai who could kick ass up and down the district, but she couldn’t have been more than eight or nine years old by her appearance, much younger than you. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. At least, that was what you thought.

That changed when you were punted across the room.

You barely realized what had happened – if Yachiru had moved a little bit faster you were sure you wouldn’t have. She’d approached you rapidly and swept upward with a leg that impacted with so much force you were sure you’d met many full-grown men who couldn’t hit that hard. As you bounced off of a shaky wall and landed on the ground, one thought flashed through your mind:

_If she was this strong, just how powerful was the guy she was with?!_

“Don’t you kids do any training at all anymore?” Kenpachi asked, staring at the ceiling as if utterly exasperated by that one room.

“Nothing… like that…” you said quietly, trying to keep yourself from hyperventilating. You’d very nearly had the wind knocked completely out of you by that one kick. What kind of a monster was this little girl? There were plenty of people that strong, but most were Shinigami, and none of them were that young! It seemed impossible.

“I can’t fight you,” you said quietly, holding your abdomen, sure now that “can’t” was much more accurate than “won’t”.

“He’s right. It wouldn’t be a challenge anyway.” Despite agreeing, Kenpachi seemed almost disappointed. He gestured outside and started off on the day’s long journey, with Yachiru bouncing up his shoulder in a practiced set of movements. You brushed yourself off from the massive blow you’d received and focused on the day’s tasks instead of the beating you’d just taken in a single kick. You had three districts to cross, and there was a long day ahead of you beyond that. You needed to prepare… Shinigami Academy examinations were tomorrow, and that meant you needed to find some way to train besides just getting beaten up.

The trip was mostly quiet other than the occasional squeals or even songs from Yachiru. And not just because Kenpachi was a quiet man – everything seemed to go quiet when he was around. People stepped into their homes, others turned off the road entirely, even shopkeepers stood in silent watch as he went through. The man seemed to have a reputation… or perhaps his aura was simply that intimidating. Suddenly, having the courage to stand up to him when he shouted at you made you feel a bit more bold. You smiled as you walked, surprisingly unconcerned for someone who was traveling with a sword-wielding stranger whose reputation seemed to indicate a serial killer.

It took a while, but the sight of the semi-familiar sign eventually came into view. Quite a relief, actually… you’d been lost for the past thirty minutes. You hadn’t come to the forty-ninth district in almost a year. Kenpachi and Yachiru went in alone while you thanked your lucky stars that they had worse sense of direction than you. You did manage to flag someone down while they were inside, and found out tomorrow’s examinations were being held in district forty-six, or at least that was the location closest to here. They emerged a few minutes later, Yachiru’s (tiny) arms loaded with candy. You didn’t ask how (if) they paid.

“Thanks for showing us the way,” Yachiru said, smirking as she engulfed a lollipop the size of her head.

“Nnh,” Kenpachi grunted, giving you a nod. Then he turned toward Seireitei, and vanished. You blinked a few times, unsure of just how fast he’d just travelled. Fast enough you hadn’t even seen him leave… impressive, to say the least. Maybe he really did stand a chance against the Captains.

But that left you with a question as to what to do. You were three districts from home. You could return, and go to an exam that was close to your home location, but that would basically nullify your day today. Or you could stay around here. It was late, and the sun was already well past noon, but if you trained here and found a place to stay for the night you’d have more time, and you could journey to the forty-sixth district in the morning, the nearest examination location from here. It was a matter of comfort over efficiency, really, but which was more important?

**Go home and rest up for tomorrow: Go to Chapter 668**

**Find a place to stay and train here: Go to Chapter 669**


	342. Chapter 342

Training was the best way to go. You needed to get stronger, and the best way to do that was a solid day of hard work and sweat. Of course, you really weren’t certain if you even knew where you should begin with a training regimen, but as long as you made yourself stronger it shouldn’t really matter much, right?

With that in mind, you dedicated yourself to doing every basic exercise you could think of. You started off with sit-ups, but had to stop shortly after when your stomach started giving you severe pain. You’d gone too long without food to put so much strain on your abdomen. You switched to push-ups, and found that years of thievery were still not enough to make you nearly satisfied with your strength or stamina. In fact, the only thing that you were able to do for any real length of time was a run around the house, and because you had to keep turning every scant few seconds, you couldn’t build up enough speed to really test yourself.

But that didn’t stop you. You were thrilled by this. You had spent every waking moment of your life in the Rukongai trying to survive, not to die. For the first time, you had something to work toward, something to really push yourself for. Your body was alive with adrenaline as you thought about one day raising a blade as a true Shinigami. The idea of wielding a blade, for Soul Society and for yourself, fueled you for hours. But even that had to wear down eventually; mentally, you were strong, but physically you were hungry and tired. Reluctantly, after a long time of switching exercises, you had to come to a stop.

You panted lightly and looked around, not sure what to do with yourself. You’d pushed yourself about as hard as you could for one day, at least as much as basic training could get you without tearing something. You wracked your brain, trying to think of all the things a Shinigami could do. The two kids you had run into… they were strong, you could tell by the way they moved and their outward appearances. They also moved fast, which you could try, but you were sure it wouldn’t take long to tire out and so wouldn’t last for the rest of the day anyway. Of course, there were other ways to train than strength - all Shinigami also wore swords… now _that_ you could do. You could try prying one of the boards free of your house, or someone else’s if they were absent, and practice some swings. You doubted you’d be much good with it, but it was better than walking into the entrance exam blind.

Of course, you didn’t have to try that. You could always look around Rukongai… your stomach was grumbling and moaning, and you got the distinct feeling you’d be miserable if you went much longer without food, especially after doing that much exercise. You could try to find food, or some information about the entrance exam. Maybe you would even find more interesting people like the two you had met yesterday.

**Train your skills: Go to Chapter 670**

**Look around Rukongai: Go to Chapter 671**


	343. Chapter 343

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You wanted to take a last look around, as this might very well be the last time that you got to see the Rukongai for quite some time. You doubted that they let the students of the Shinigami Academy simply wander around.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“N-no,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 672**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 673**


	344. Chapter 344

“Actually, I think I’m going to stay here for a while,” you said with a smile at Rukia. “I want to train a little more, make sure I’m really ready. I promise I’ll make it there before I’m… _too_ late.”

“You heard ‘em Rukia, come on, let’s go get ourselves accepted. We can pass the test no problem!”

Rukia looked back at Renji and gave him a glare, but ended up shrugging. “Alright, if that’s what you want. Just make sure you get there on time, wouldn’t want you to be left behind!”

You nodded and started to focus a little bit more. It was time to get started. As they walked off into the distance, you made a note of the direction so you wouldn’t get lost later, and began your exercises.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the park and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. Resting between matches was all that had kept you going the previous day for as long as you had, honestly. When you had to stop to make sure you still had some energy for later, you started doing some basic punches. You tried doing them against trees, but that hurt far too much and drew blood on several of your knuckles – you’d be in no condition to repeat the actions later, that was for sure, so you settled for punching the air. You felt like you were making a lot less progress than yesterday, with others around to help… would this really be enough to make the difference between getting in and failing?

On the plus side, all the worrying about the exams helped get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the streets, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

_”I’m on my way, Rukia, Renji. Let’s all be Shinigami together!”_

~~~~~~

Rukia and Renji must have already gone through by the time you arrived, and with people funneling in one by one into the examination rooms, you didn’t have time to search for them in the crowd. Maybe they were already inside the Academy, too, so there wasn’t much point in worrying about it. And so you found yourself in the examination room alone, staring down the examiners gathered before you.

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and realized with a start that even these weren’t dragging you to the floor. You did several repetitions with them, wondering how much good the exercise of the previous two days had really done you.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 674**


	345. Chapter 345

You nodded at her sarcastic remark with a silly grin. “Sure thing. Let’s go!”

The three of you took off at a pace somewhere between a fast and slow walk, too excited to go any slower but with enough time that you didn’t have to worry about being there on time.

“What do you think it will be like?” You asked, curious what you were getting yourself into.

“Probably just a test to make sure you’re tough enough. They say any soul can become a Shinigami, as long as they’ve got the power. So, in other words, you’re screwed,” Renji said with a sneer.

“Considering how well he did by the end of yesterday, I think he’s got a better shot than you, Renji,” Rukia replied, adding a raspberry to emphasize the point.

The camaraderie was enough to make all of you ease up a little, and your pace slowly, eventually started to become more of a crawl. But it still seemed all too soon when the three of you were standing in front of the building in a long line of examinees, anxiously awaiting your own turns.

“I’m going first, I’ll set the bar,” Renji said confidently when you finally reached the front. He strode in with a self-assuredness that would surely get him in, if he had even half the skill needed to back it up.

“And we’ll vault it,” Rukia said when Renji vanished. It was quite a shock to you just how seriously she was taking this if she didn’t want to distract him by talking to him. You wondered for a moment if this was going to work out… but no, with your new friends, you felt like you could surely take this on.

Rukia was the next to go. Before she vanished, she looked back at you and mouthed the words “good luck” as she was escorted inside. You nodded back at her, “you too” barely a whisper above the noise of the crowd gathered behind you.

All alone, it seemed like an eternity before you finally made it inside.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and started working out, pushing yourself to the limit. The judges seemed very impressed; you used that as motivation to keep working your tiring muscles harder.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 675**


	346. Chapter 346

“Actually, I think I’m going to stay here for a while,” you said with a smile at Renji. “I want to train a little more, make sure I’m really ready. I promise I’ll make it there before I’m… _too_ late.”

Renji looked at you, apparently a bit surprised, but ended up shrugging and turning to Rukia. “Well, you heard ‘em! Come on Rukia, we don’t want to be late.”

Rukia looked back but ended up shrugging. “Alright, if that’s what you want. Just make sure you get there on time, Renji wouldn’t know what to do without you!”

You nodded and started to focus a little bit more. It was time to get started. As they walked off into the distance, you made a note of the direction so you wouldn’t get lost later, and began your exercises.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the park and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. Resting between matches was all that had kept you going the previous day for as long as you had, honestly. When you had to stop to make sure you still had some energy for later, you started doing some basic punches. You tried doing them against trees, but that hurt far too much and drew blood on several of your knuckles – you’d be in no condition to repeat the actions later, that was for sure, so you settled for punching the air. You felt like you were making a lot less progress than yesterday, with others around to help… would this really be enough to make the difference between getting in and failing?

On the plus side, all the worrying about the exams helped get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the streets, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

_”I’m on my way, Renji, Rukia. Let’s all be Shinigami together!”_

~~~~~~

Rukia and Renji must have already gone through by the time you arrived, and with people funneling in one by one into the examination rooms, you didn’t have time to search for them in the crowd. Maybe they were already inside the Academy, too, so there wasn’t much point in worrying about it. And so you found yourself in the examination room alone, staring down the examiners gathered before you.

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and realized with a start that even these weren’t dragging you to the floor. You did several repetitions with them, wondering how much good the exercise of the previous two days had really done you.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 676**


	347. Chapter 347

You nodded at Renji with a wide grin. “Sure thing. Let’s go!”

The three of you took off at a pace somewhere between a fast and slow walk, too excited to go any slower but with enough time that you didn’t have to worry about being there on time.

“What do you think it will be like?” You asked, curious what you were getting yourself into.

“Probably just a test to make sure you’re tough enough. They say any soul can become a Shinigami, as long as they’ve got the power. So you’d better be prepared,” Renji said with a cocky grin.

“Considering how well you two were doing… I think I’m the only one with a shot,” Rukia replied, adding a raspberry to emphasize the point.

The camaraderie was enough to make all of you ease up a little, and your pace slowly, eventually started to become more of a crawl. But it still seemed all too soon when the three of you were standing in front of the building in a long line of examinees, anxiously awaiting your own turns.

“I’m going first, I’ll set the bar,” Renji said confidently when you finally reached the front. He strode in with a self-assuredness that would surely get him in, if he had even half the skill needed to back it up.

“And we’ll vault it,” Rukia said when Renji vanished. It was quite a shock to you just how seriously she was taking this if she didn’t want to distract him by talking to him. You wondered for a moment if this was going to work out… but no, with your new friends, you felt like you could surely take this on.

Rukia was the next to go. Before she vanished, she looked back at you and mouthed the words “good luck” as she was escorted inside. You nodded back at her, “you too” barely a whisper above the noise of the crowd gathered behind you.

All alone, it seemed like an eternity before you finally made it inside.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and started working out, pushing yourself to the limit. The judges seemed very impressed; you used that as motivation to keep working your tiring muscles harder.

You finished your routine with some sword exercises, finally coming back to the wooden training blade they’d given you. You used the lessons that Rukia and Renji had basically drilled into you, dueling with an imaginary foe. With the warm-up the weights provided you found yourself frantically slicing the air, so much power behind your blows it surprised you that you could maintain your accuracy. The judges seemed just as impressed, and you were convinced now that while you were still weak, for an entrance examinee, you were at least above average enough to guarantee yourself a spot. As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 677**


	348. Chapter 348

You hadn’t done much preparation for the examination until these past two days. Making matters worse, you’d slept in yesterday and hadn’t gotten nearly as much done as you wanted to. Both of those things made you believe that you needed to train more – much more.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the house and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. After that, you worked your way into basic punches, but found even more quickly than with cardio that punching a wooden wall was a little out of the realm of pain you could tolerate.

On the plus side, all the worrying about today’s exam got your heart rate up. That was good, right? By the time the exam was drawing near and the sun was rising up toward the middle of the sky, you’d gotten quite a bit of training done and a good sweat worked up. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the street, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. There was quite a bit of attention at first, and two of the judges muttered some comments to each other, but after a while they started to look a bit bored. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. Surprisingly, you were able to lift even heavier weights than you thought you could, and even the judges seemed quite impressed as you worked them.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come. And… now you were not only being accepted, but put into the advanced class? This was the start of a new era for you.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. As a member of the advanced class, you know there are many hurdles and expectations ahead of you, but those will be handled in the distant future. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 678**


	349. Chapter 349

Hey, how hard could it really be to find them? You sort of knew the area they hung around – or so you hoped – and they were going to be heading the same place as you. They weren’t exactly great friends of yours but at least they were _someone_ , right? Support was always helpful, especially on stressful days like this; they’d probably appreciate it as much as you.

So as you walked toward the examination you took time to go a little out of your way. Not much, but a little, maybe half as much distance as you walked toward the exam. You didn’t see anything for a long while, but as you closed in on half of a district remaining, you heard – rather than saw – the two of them. You barely recognized the voices, but something about the tone and the words was all too familiar…

“For the last time, I’m sorry! I thought that it was northeast, not southeast!”

“I don’t care how sorry you are, Renji! We didn’t even get to train yesterday!”

You perked up at the sounds and moved between the buildings, making your way over to them. As soon as you saw their bickering faces your own visage lit up in a smile your mission accomplished. You waited for a break in their argument before you approached them, waving a hand in greeting.

“Hey, guys! Long time no see,” You smirked, looking between both of them.

Renji and Rukia glanced over, a moment of delay before their eyes glowed with recognition. Both of them glared at each other, but a mutual agreement seemed to keep them from ignoring you and returning to their argument.

“Yeah, really. What are you doing all the way out here?” Rukia asked, rubbing the back of her head.

“Actually, I’m on my way to the exams. I had a feeling I’d run into the two of you, if I headed over this way a little. I could use some company, actually, I’ve been pretty nervous.”

“Can’t blame you,” Renji said with a shrug. “The test was made for people like me, after all.”

Rukia glared at him, cocking an eyebrow and giving him the most bone-melting look she possibly could. “Made for people like you to fail, maybe.”

The argument never let off, not until you were all gathered before the Shinigami Academy entrance examination doors. 

“I’m going first, I’ll set the bar,” Renji said confidently when you finally reached the front. He strode in with a self-assuredness that would surely get him in, if he had even half the skill needed to back it up.

“And we’ll vault it,” Rukia said when Renji vanished. It was quite a shock to you just how seriously she was taking this if she didn’t want to distract him by talking to him. You wondered for a moment if this was going to work out… but no, with your new friends, you felt like you could surely take this on.

Rukia was the next to go. Before she vanished, she looked back at you and mouthed the words “good luck” as she was escorted inside. You nodded back at her, “you too” barely a whisper above the noise of the crowd gathered behind you.

All alone, it seemed like an eternity before you finally made it inside.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and started working out, pushing yourself to the limit. The judges seemed very impressed; you used that as motivation to keep working your tiring muscles harder.

As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 679**


	350. Chapter 350

You wanted to gather more information. Maybe you could find someone to give you some tips or pointers, now that the entirety of the Rukongai was on the move. Even as you left your house and headed for the main roads, the increased traffic was evident. There were people everywhere, people with determined, fearful, or even curious looks on their faces.

Unfortunately, none of them were of any help. Most of the people you talked to refused to even bother, too busy focusing on exactly what they needed to get done to pass the test. The rest were either completely nonsensical, giving you the most generic “be as strong as you can” answers or just plain knowing nothing about the test. It was both a comfort and a nervous chill you felt growing as you realized very few people had taken the test before and were now taking it again. Either it was easy to pass… or so incredibly difficult that nobody bothered trying a second time.

You were growing so anxious for some information – anything at all – that you only realized where you were when a man gestured toward you and beckoned you inside the hall of the entrance examinations. Your heart pounding, you had no choice but to go inside. Well… it was now, or never.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were surprisingly… surprised. They kept their eyes on you for quite a while, even going so far as to take notes, or at least one of them did. Maybe the other two as well, but you were so thrilled by the attention seeming positive that you pushed yourself harder and stopped watching them.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you were able to renew the slowly fading attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. You began with some medium-sized weights, but found that they were only barely straining your arms – you picked up weights on the heavier end, and started working out, pushing yourself to the limit. The judges seemed very impressed; you used that as motivation to keep working your tiring muscles harder.

As you wound down your allotted time, you bowed and awaited their judgment. It came almost as quickly as you’d hoped, only a few seconds of very quiet and calm deliberation between the three before the one in the middle addressed you with a smile on his face.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve made friends, and you know in your heart that the two you met earlier are waiting for you within the halls. But they will have to wait, at least a short while. For now, you need to focus on your next big challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 680**


	351. Chapter 351

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to concentrate. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to keep your movements inconsistent. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 681**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 682**


	352. Chapter 352

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 683**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 684**


	353. Chapter 353

“Sure, sounds awesome!” You gave a thumbs up and started after them.

“Hah! Told you we’d need the third sword,” Rukia said. “Looks like _you_ get the shorter one, and we’re taking _my_ way.”

“Whatever, you had no idea he was just gonna show up like that!” Renji called back. Despite his earlier behavior, he seemed almost resigned to your presence now. He glanced back at you and gave a grunt. “Hurry up, if you’re coming along you’d better at least be able to keep up!”

You were pretty sure that you could keep up with what amounted to a fast walk, but you decided to keep your mouth shut so that, hopefully, he could warm up to you. A little. Maybe?

After a little over an hour of quick walking, and judging by the look on Rukia’s face as you arrived at a vaguely forested area, you must have arrived at the training zone. She was quick to confirm your suspicions.

“Hah! Told you this was the way! We won’t even have to walk ten minutes to get to the exam from here.” Rukia pointed victoriously toward a direction you couldn’t even guess at; you were in a part of the Rukongai you’d rarely explored, and never mapped out in your head.

“Whatever, let’s just get started,” Renji growled, leaving the sack that he was carrying off to the side, but where it was in plain sight so that nobody could steal from it without being spotted.

“You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she threw you a spare. You caught it awkwardly in the air, while she grinned at you the whole time. “He threw himself at a shopkeeper without hesitating; I want to see what he can really do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 685**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 686**


	354. Chapter 354

“Sorry, I’m actually about to head home.”

Rukia looked mildly disappointed but ended up shrugging it away. “Alright, we’ll be at Shinjo Park if you change your mind.”

“Bah, let him rot. We’ll be in the advanced class by the time he’s even ready to apply!” Renji said happily. The two of them marched off quickly, arguing the whole way about which of their paths was the correct one to take.

You turned back and headed to your house. You were a long way from home, but managed to make decent time back, and the sun was just beginning its descent.

You had enough time left in the day to do… something, at any rate. But what could you use your time for?

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 687**

**Enjoy your last day in the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 688**


	355. Chapter 355

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to concentrate. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to keep your movements inconsistent. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 689**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 690**


	356. Chapter 356

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 691**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 692**


	357. Chapter 357

“Sure, sounds awesome!” You gave a thumbs up and started after them.

“Hah! Told you we’d need the third sword,” Rukia said. “Looks like _you_ get the shorter one, and we’re taking _my_ way.”

“Whatever, you had no idea he was just gonna show up like that!” Renji called back. Despite his earlier behavior, he seemed almost resigned to your presence now. He glanced back at you and gave a grunt. “Hurry up, if you’re coming along you’d better at least be able to keep up!”

You were pretty sure that you could keep up with what amounted to a fast walk, but you decided to keep your mouth shut so that, hopefully, he could warm up to you. A little. Maybe?

After a little over an hour of quick walking, and judging by the look on Rukia’s face as you arrived at a vaguely forested area, you must have arrived at the training zone. She was quick to confirm your suspicions.

“Hah! Told you this was the way! We won’t even have to walk ten minutes to get to the exam from here.” Rukia pointed victoriously toward a direction you couldn’t even guess at; you were in a part of the Rukongai you’d rarely explored, and never mapped out in your head.

“Whatever, let’s just get started,” Renji growled, leaving the sack that he was carrying off to the side, but where it was in plain sight so that nobody could steal from it without being spotted.

“You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she threw you a spare. You caught it awkwardly in the air, while she grinned at you the whole time. “He threw himself at a shopkeeper without hesitating; I want to see what he can really do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 693**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 694**


	358. Chapter 358

“Sorry, I’m actually about to head home.”

Rukia looked mildly disappointed but ended up shrugging it away. “Alright, we’ll be at Shinjo Park if you change your mind.”

“Bah, let him rot. We’ll be in the advanced class by the time he’s even ready to apply!” Renji said happily. The two of them marched off quickly, arguing the whole way about which of their paths was the correct one to take.

You turned back and headed to your house. You were a long way from home, but managed to make decent time back, and the sun was just beginning its descent.

You had enough time left in the day to do… something, at any rate. But what could you use your time for?

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 695**

**Enjoy your last day in the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 696**


	359. Chapter 359

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you wouldn’t be caught off guard by the weight of Renji and his load. You gripped Renji’s forearm tightly, your grip slipping for a moment as the full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but Renji’s panicked look turning into one of shock and relief made it worthwhile.

Renji looked toward the ground and then breathed a little sigh of relief. “That was a close one.”

Rukia’s landing was less graceful. She had fallen almost flat on her back, and the impact was a painfully resonating one, from what you could hear. You and Renji both winced at the sound, but thankfully Rukia was up after a moment, rubbing at her spine toward her waist.

“Hey! Anyone ever tell you about proper manners?! Save the woman!”

“Hey, the food’s safe,” Renji called back with a grin on his face. “I think that’s pretty good manners!”

Rukia gave a “hmph” sound, and glared at both of you the entire time she was crawling back up the tree.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Maybe you should just leave me behind altogether next time!”

“Oh, lighten up, Rukia. The fall wasn’t that bad. Besides, you’ve got plenty to cushion the fall!”

Rukia turned red with fury, but kept her voice calm as she replied. “Hah! As if I can get enough food for that with you around! It’s a miracle you didn’t already devour this whole sack while we were training, fatty!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I know everyone does, and that’s why a lot of people go for it, but it still seems kind of simple I guess. I want a good life living in the Seireitei, I want to never have to worry about my next meal. I want friends and a good home and… everything, I guess.”

“Well, you don’t have to live in the Seireitei to have friends.”

“Renji’s right, for once. I’m glad we all met up,” Rukia added with a smile. The three of you stared into the sky, enjoying the stars and the cool night for a long while.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made some good friends in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Told you I should’ve been the one that got saved,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 697**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 698**


	360. Chapter 360

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you could more firmly grab her. You wrapped your fingers around Rukia’s wrist and brought her to a sudden stop, nearly falling forward as her full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but seeing the look on the raven-haired girl’s face made it worth it.

She looked toward the ground for a moment, as if not understanding why it wasn’t getting any closer. Then she looked back up toward you and smiled gently.

“I believe that’s twice I owe you, now.”

Renji landed rather a bit less gracefully, even as you were helping Rukia ascend to the branch again. His fall was rather cushioned, though – he landed squarely on the sack full of bread that he had been lifting into the tree. You grimaced at the sound of the impact; a mixture between a thud and soft air whooshing. He grunted as he hit, but made no severe sound of anguish. He did, however, start shouting up at you.

“Hey! I’m the one carrying food, you’d think you could at least _tried_ to protect the bread.”

Rukia giggled at him, seeing that he wasn’t really hurt since the bread cushioned the fall. “Don’t mind him, _he_ doesn’t have the manners to save the one who’d actually get hurt. He never stops thinking with his stomach!”

Renji shouted something else, but you couldn’t hear it over your laughter and Rukia’s.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Renji, ease a little!”

Renji stopped glaring at you, but only to huff and look in entirely the other direction. “I still don’t see why he has to be here to begin with!”

Rukia rolled her eyes, but kept that mischievous grin on her face. “Maybe because you’re not nearly as much of a challenge to fight! If I want a real workout I have to find someone else to train with!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I know everyone does, and that’s why a lot of people go for it, but it still seems kind of simple I guess. I want a good life living in the Seireitei, I want to never have to worry about my next meal. I want friends and a good home and… everything, I guess.”

“Well, maybe you can find someone who can tolerate you there, if you can even get in.”

“Just ignore him, I always do,” Rukia said with a smile and a wink. “I’m happy to be your friend, Seireitei or no!”

There was a long silence, Renji still apparently annoyed with the two of you, and both you and Rukia happy to just sit there quietly. That being said, no one was quite ready for sleep yet, so eventually the silence was broken.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made a good friend in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Glad he saved me instead of you. It would’ve been a waste,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 699**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 700**


	361. Chapter 361

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you wouldn’t be caught off guard by the weight of Renji and his load. You gripped Renji’s forearm tightly, your grip slipping for a moment as the full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but Renji’s panicked look turning into one of shock and relief made it worthwhile.

Renji looked toward the ground and then breathed a little sigh of relief. “That was a close one.”

Rukia’s landing was less graceful. She had fallen almost flat on her back, and the impact was a painfully resonating one, from what you could hear. You and Renji both winced at the sound, but thankfully Rukia was up after a moment, rubbing at her spine toward her waist.

“Hey! Anyone ever tell you about proper manners?! Save the woman!”

“Hey, the food’s safe,” Renji called back with a grin on his face. “I think that’s pretty good manners!”

Rukia gave a “hmph” sound, and glared at both of you the entire time she was crawling back up the tree.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Maybe you should just leave me behind altogether next time!”

“Oh, lighten up, Rukia. The fall wasn’t that bad. Besides, you’ve got plenty to cushion the fall!”

Rukia turned red with fury, but kept her voice calm as she replied. “Hah! As if I can get enough food for that with you around! It’s a miracle you didn’t already devour this whole sack while we were training, fatty!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I know everyone does, and that’s why a lot of people go for it, but it still seems kind of simple I guess. I want a good life living in the Seireitei, I want to never have to worry about my next meal. I want friends and a good home and… everything, I guess.”

“Well, you don’t have to live in the Seireitei to have friends.”

“Renji’s right, for once. I’m glad we all met up,” Rukia added with a smile. The three of you stared into the sky, enjoying the stars and the cool night for a long while.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made some good friends in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Told you I should’ve been the one that got saved,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 701**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 702**


	362. Chapter 362

The fall wasn’t far, but in all of your weakened states, you wouldn’t be surprised if it did more damage than you expected. You reached out, actually stepping across to another branch and spreading your feet out so that you could more firmly grab her. You wrapped your fingers around Rukia’s wrist and brought her to a sudden stop, nearly falling forward as her full weight hit your arms. The strain burned your muscles, but seeing the look on the raven-haired girl’s face made it worth it.

She looked toward the ground for a moment, as if not understanding why it wasn’t getting any closer. Then she looked back up toward you and smiled gently.

“I believe that’s twice I owe you, now.”

Renji landed rather a bit less gracefully, even as you were helping Rukia ascend to the branch again. His fall was rather cushioned, though – he landed squarely on the sack full of bread that he had been lifting into the tree. You grimaced at the sound of the impact; a mixture between a thud and soft air whooshing. He grunted as he hit, but made no severe sound of anguish. He did, however, start shouting up at you.

“Hey! I’m the one carrying food, you’d think you could at least _tried_ to protect the bread.”

Rukia giggled at him, seeing that he wasn’t really hurt since the bread cushioned the fall. “Don’t mind him, _he_ doesn’t have the manners to save the one who’d actually get hurt. He never stops thinking with his stomach!”

Renji shouted something else, but you couldn’t hear it over your laughter and Rukia’s.

~~~~

By the time all of you got settled in again, the sun was setting and you’d all taken your own bread to snack on before going to bed. It was great to finally have more than a single meal in a week, you had to admit.

“You two are a real pair,” Rukia muttered, munching idly on one of the bread pieces. “Renji, ease a little!”

Renji stopped glaring at you, but only to huff and look in entirely the other direction. “I still don’t see why he has to be here to begin with!”

Rukia rolled her eyes, but kept that mischievous grin on her face. “Maybe because you’re not nearly as much of a challenge to fight! If I want a real workout I have to find someone else to train with!”

You laughed as the two of them went back and forth, more than content to enjoy the surprisingly comfortable perch you’d found high in the tree. You were resting easily in the closely-knit spread of two branches, deep enough that you wouldn’t roll out easily but compressed enough that you wouldn’t fall through when your body went totally slack either. The sun was almost completely gone across the horizon, and you knew that soon the three of you would be wanting to go to sleep, but for now you were just enjoying the company of your friends.

“So, why did you want to become a Shinigami?” Rukia asked suddenly, turning her head to you. You’d been lost in thought while she bantered with Renji and it took you a moment to reply.

“Well… I just wanted out of here, I guess,” you said kind of awkwardly. “I mean… I know everyone does, and that’s why a lot of people go for it, but it still seems kind of simple I guess. I want a good life living in the Seireitei, I want to never have to worry about my next meal. I want friends and a good home and… everything, I guess.”

“Well, maybe you can find someone who can tolerate you there, if you can even get in.”

“Just ignore him, I always do,” Rukia said with a smile and a wink. “I’m happy to be your friend, Seireitei or no!”

There was a long silence, Renji still apparently annoyed with the two of you, and both you and Rukia happy to just sit there quietly. That being said, no one was quite ready for sleep yet, so eventually the silence was broken.

“Let’s all make sure to become Shinigami together, alright?” Rukia questioned after a while.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Tch, like they could flunk a guy like me,” Renji added with his usual confidence.

You all talked for a little bit longer, but before you knew it, Renji and Rukia stopped talking altogether as the last day’s light finished extinguishing itself across the horizon. Their soft snores filled the air. You felt a little happiness at knowing, even if it took a while, you’d finally made a good friend in the Rukongai.

 _”Not a bad day…”_

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

~~~~~

“GUAAAHH!”

You awoke to the sound of screaming, which you could only assume came from Renji, given that your fuddled brain was only awake enough to process that it was a male voice. That was followed by the sound of a thud, and you stared down from your branch to see Renji landing most painfully on the ground.

“There! What did I tell you Renji? Didn’t I say that was a bad place to sleep?”

Renji just mumbled something, then shouted a few choice words back at Rukia as he clambered to his feet. He brushed himself off as Rukia landed directly beside him, and you followed quickly after.

“Hmph! Glad he saved me instead of you. It would’ve been a waste,” Rukia said with a devious smirk. “You can’t stay in a tree to save your life.”

“Whatever! Let’s just go, it’s almost time for the exams to start!” Renji said, turning red with frustration as he marched off so hard you could hear his feet smashing into the ground.

Rukia turned back to you with a look on her face that was hard to describe; fearful excitement? Anxious confidence? “Well? Come on, wouldn’t want to be late.”

You grinned and nodded at her. Then a thought occurred to you – did you really want to go with them? If you stayed here, you might be able to get in some more training… you’d be a little late, and you might not get to stay with Renji and Rukia for as long, but getting stronger might impress the judges more than just being there early, or even on time. You decided to…

**Train for a while: Go to Chapter 703**

**Go with Renji and Rukia: Go to Chapter 704**


	363. Chapter 363

You would train your skills, work on improving yourself as best you could. That was probably the best path. Far better to miss out on your last trip into the Rukongai and make it in than to enjoy your time… and see a whole lot more of it.

With a great effort, you pried free one of the boards from your home in a large enough piece to be usable, but small enough to be somewhat realistic. You didn’t want to look completely ridiculous, so you returned inside for your skill training. You didn’t need that much space to try it anyway.

Gripping the wood firmly with both hands wherever you could find a non-sharp or splintered edge you began to swing rapidly. At first, it felt great; the whistling sound that the board made as it trailed through the air was incredibly gratifying and made you feel like a real Shinigami. However, when you took a moment to think about it, you started to wonder if your speed and strength meant much.

You took a few practice swings at the wall, and found that you were lucky if the point of impact was within a foot of the last swing. You were so focused on speed and strength that you couldn’t even get a pair of blows to connect in sequence. Sighing, you took a step back and tried to concentrate. You took another swing, focusing on the stance, the motion, the fluidity of it all. You unleashed several more in rapid succession, struggling to keep your movements inconsistent. They still weren’t perfect… but you’d have years to worry about that later, in the Academy. Right now, all you had to do was stand out above the crowd and not seem like a total novice.

After a couple hours, though, your arms were totally numb. You’d pushed yourself as hard as you could, and you still might’ve been able to keep swinging, but honestly you weren’t sure it would do you any good to perform swings when they were so limp-wristed you didn’t even scratch the wood on the wall. You’d almost thoroughly destroyed a few boards, though, and you had gotten some of the former strength back into your blows while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. Maybe it was nothing like using a real sword… but you had made some visible progress, and you were pleased by that.

You collapsed into the corner, tossing your wooden board to the side. Your eyes were practically shutting even against your will; you were so utterly exhausted you wondered if you’d ever exerted yourself so much in one day.

As your eyes finally won their battle and you felt your consciousness fading, your last thoughts were wondering whether or not it would be enough.

~~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 705**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 706**


	364. Chapter 364

You walked out into the streets and stared around. You needed a break and it was a good idea to try to improve your knowledge of the test as well; who knew if you would be able to find anything, but it was at least worth a try.

For a time you were lost in thought, wandering aimlessly and just soaking the entire atmosphere in. The weather had cooled off significantly from the previous day, and thanks to that the streets were bustling with people who were tired of being cramped up since the previous day. You didn’t acknowledge many of them, and ignored the few glances you received – mostly from protective shop keepers.

Eventually something did catch your eye, though; and not what you expected. It was a body, flying past your eyes, and a man walking behind him cracking his knuckles.

“If you try to take my food again, I’ll beat you ‘till your mother turns blue!” The raven-haired boy shouted, shaking a fist at the pale and frightened boy he’d just tossed in front of you.

You stopped and stared between the two of him. When he saw you standing there, the boy who had been acting so threatening actually looked shocked and paused in his intimidation. The kid on the ground got to his feet and started limping away quickly while the two of you were occupied.

“Err… sorry about that. Guess I almost hit you,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, just dealing with that idiot. He tried to steal my food, as if that wasn’t bad enough, and right before the Shinigami entrance exams too. I need my strength…” He mumbled something else after that, but you didn’t catch it. It seemed like he hadn’t even known he was saying it until afterward either, as he quickly shook his head and then looked back to you.

“Anyway, sorry about that. Hope you weren’t hurt.”

“No,” you said quickly. “I wasn’t. Are you going to become a Shinigami?”

He looked away from you as he gave his answer, muttering something in the affirmative so low you couldn’t actually hear it. And was that a blush that came to his cheeks? What was his deal with becoming a Shinigami?

Whatever. You considered him for a moment – maybe he wasn’t the strongest kid in Rukongai, but he had dealt with that other guy without an issue, and it wasn’t like the other one had appeared to be much of a wimp. If you convinced him to train you, how hard could it really be to pass the test? At the very least it would give you more of an edge. On the other hand, although he seemed friendly enough, and you were pretty sure nobody would turn down a training partner, you _did_ just meet the guy, and he was acting a little off…

**Ask if he will train with you: Go to Chapter 707**

**Just leave: Go to Chapter 708**


	365. Chapter 365

“Sure, sounds awesome!” You gave a thumbs up and started after them.

“Hah! Told you we’d need the third sword,” Rukia said. “Looks like _you_ get the shorter one, and we’re taking _my_ way.”

“Whatever, you had no idea he was just gonna show up like that!” Renji called back. Despite his earlier behavior, he seemed almost resigned to your presence now. He glanced back at you and gave a grunt. “Hurry up, if you’re coming along you’d better at least be able to keep up!”

You were pretty sure that you could keep up with what amounted to a fast walk, but you decided to keep your mouth shut so that, hopefully, he could warm up to you. A little. Maybe?

After a little over an hour of quick walking, and judging by the look on Rukia’s face as you arrived at a vaguely forested area, you must have arrived at the training zone. She was quick to confirm your suspicions.

“Hah! Told you this was the way! We won’t even have to walk ten minutes to get to the exam from here.” Rukia pointed victoriously toward a direction you couldn’t even guess at; you were in a part of the Rukongai you’d rarely explored, and never mapped out in your head.

“Whatever, let’s just get started,” Renji growled, leaving the sack that he was carrying off to the side, but where it was in plain sight so that nobody could steal from it without being spotted.

“You go last, new guy!”

“No way!” Rukia shouted back at him, brandishing one of the swords as she threw you a spare. You caught it awkwardly in the air, while she grinned at you the whole time. “He threw himself at a shopkeeper without hesitating; I want to see what he can really do!”

You tried not to let your nervousness show, as Rukia squared off opposite of you, holding the wooden sword like she knew what she was doing.

~~~~~

You did a great job of hiding your nervousness, but there was little and nothing that you could do to hide your inexperience. Rukia landed a painful blow on your skull in the opening seconds of the match and then immediately let up when she realized that your moment of heroism was lucky bravery, and not much else. You were disappointed that you’d… well, disappointed so quickly, but only Renji criticized you.

Rukia gave you some quick instructions, showing you how to properly wield the weapon and running you through a few basic moves. She didn’t really know that much more than you, though; it seemed like she had experience with fighting using the weapon but not much actual training. Self-taught skill was still better than a novice like yourself, though, and she was soon sparring with Renji instead.

The two of them were quite aggressive. Neither of them went for any decisive or seriously painful blows, but they did leave each other with a number of bruises. In time, after they had worn each other down, you took a brief rest to consume some of the bread – Renji, surprisingly, managed not to gripe much about you taking one – before diving back in. This time you rotated against both of them in a quick-switching three-man spar. You were left behind, mostly, but thankfully Rukia went easier on you than Renji did. He, you were almost certain, had cracked at least two of the bones in your hands and arms. Possibly three. But your injuries would heal; it was your ego that was a bit more permanently damaged.

Because there were three of you switching on and off like that, by the time you looked up it was nearly sunset. You wiped at your forehead with the back of your hand and tried to recover from the long afternoon of exertion.

“Alright… I think we’re done here.”

“What, giving up… already?” Renji’s taunt went unanswered. Rukia and you were both exhausted, but he was every bit as tired and he knew it – everyone did. There was no point or need to validate his taunt.

“Let’s get this stuff in the tree,” Rukia said, pointing to a nearby oak. Your eyes widened – you knew they were staying out here, but… in a tree? Rukia must have seen your expression, because she gave you an understanding smile.

“We don’t want to stay on the ground where we can be seen, especially not with all these things,” Rukia quickly gestured to the wooden swords she was preparing to carry up into the tree, and to the bread sack Renji was holding. “These are pretty valuable around here, you know?”

“Yeah, and yet some of us can’t stop giving them away.”

“Oh give it a rest already, we’ll be gone tomorrow! You’re just making yourself miserable,” Rukia sighed, apparently growing tired of Renji’s griping as well. Rukia gave you a pass to go up into the tree since you were the only one not carrying something. You were up in the lower branches immediately, using a foothold to climb rapidly. Rukia was up just seconds after you, balancing on a thick branch close to the bottom as you waited for Renji to come up. He shifted the sack over his shoulder and started to climb, Rukia reaching out to grip his hand and help him up.

“Fine. I’m kind of glad you gave some away, actually… this is a lot heavier… after you’re tired,” Renji muttered as he worked his way into the tree. Rukia pulled him up to her branch and he gained his footing quickly, only wobbling for a moment with the added weight of the sack. He threw a grin to the both of you and pointed upward, toward the higher branches.

“Come on now, let’s get up there where we’ll be farther out of sight. We’ll need a safe night’s sleep; tomorrow, we’re all-!”

Renji’s speech was cut off by a loud cracking sound. He stumbled, wobbled, and then fell as the branch under his weight, Rukia’s and the sack of bread’s weight cracked far enough to tilt Renji’s footing a solid forty degrees. He tumbled backwards, and his outstretched arm wind milled in a vain attempt to right himself. All it ended up doing was smacking Rukia across the back, knocking her in the opposite direction. You watched both of them tilt forward and began to fall – from your perch, you thought you just might have time to leap over and grab one of them, but there was no way you could get both.

You jumped through the air and landed solidly on the part of the branch that was still secure, then reached out a hand, grasping for-

**Renji’s flailing arm: Go to Chapter 709**

**Rukia’s outstretched hand: Go to Chapter 710**


	366. Chapter 366

“Sorry, I’m actually about to head home.”

Rukia looked mildly disappointed but ended up shrugging it away. “Alright, we’ll be at Shinjo Park if you change your mind.”

“Bah, let him rot. We’ll be in the advanced class by the time he’s even ready to apply!” Renji said happily. The two of them marched off quickly, arguing the whole way about which of their paths was the correct one to take.

You turned back and headed to your house. You were a long way from home, but managed to make decent time back, and the sun was just beginning its descent.

You had enough time left in the day to do… something, at any rate. But what could you use your time for?

**Train as hard as you can: Go to Chapter 711**

**Enjoy your last day in the Rukongai: Go to Chapter 712**


	367. Chapter 367

You dashed off toward the examinations, determined to make it on time.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. The men quickly fell off into a semi-stupor, only occasionally glancing back. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew at least a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but you found yourself lifting weights above what you’d really been expecting. Hopefully, just maybe, the attention you were getting now was enough to make you pass. They did seem to whisper amongst themselves a little more interestedly for a bit.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. What does the future hold for you? What mysteries will you uncover? You’ve had an odd last two days, but you used them to prepare wisely. You’ve overcome the entrance exams. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 713**


	368. Chapter 368

You hadn’t done much preparation for the examination until these past two days. You decided that you needed to get some immediate work done, as sudden panic filled your mind. In fact you were so concerned it took you a minute or two to even begin calming down enough to actually start on the work.

You didn’t want to do anything that would exhaust you for the exam, so you mostly focused on doing more basic exercises, jogging around the house and finding out very quickly that cardio was something you had to work your way into, not something you simply were good at. After that, you worked your way into basic punches, but found even more quickly than with cardio that punching a wooden wall was a little out of the realm of pain you could tolerate.

On the plus side, all the panicking definitely helped you get your heart rate up. That was good, right? You ended up taking only the majority of the hour to really get yourself worked into a good sweat. At that point, you decided, you were ready for the exam. Warmed up and with only a few minutes to spare before they began, you jetted off down the street, already regretting your earlier cardio as you wheezed your way between houses.

~~~~

The three men in front of you were all staring at you, some with more interest than others. You tried not to let your nerves show, knowing that they would be evaluating you on everything from the moment you stepped into the room.

“You may begin,” the middle one said. You gave a slight nod, grip tightening on the wooden handle of the training blade in your hands. To impress them… to show them your power… you began doing everything that you could think of.

~~~~

As you moved into a variety of basic strength and skill exercises, you saw that they were not overly impressed with you. There was quite a bit of attention at first, and two of the judges muttered some comments to each other, but after a while they started to look a bit bored. Every now and then, you would draw their glances with a semi-impressive run of push-ups or crunches, but for the most part they simply muttered to each other without really watching you.

You moved into basic physical exercises… and found that you drew a little more attention. All you could do with the limited equipment the room had was some basic arm work, but that was going to have to be enough. Surprisingly, you were able to lift even heavier weights than you thought you could, and even the judges seemed quite impressed as you worked them.

There was a wooden sword in the corner, but it was a very short routine that you did. You mostly focused on repeating your exercises from the previous day, focusing on skill and precision rather than strength. Still, the fact that you used it at all seemed to impress the judges much more than your simple exercise had.

When you finally finished your allotted time, after doing some sprints and other quick tests of prowess, you bowed to them and kneeled on the floor. They deliberated for a few seconds, a back and forth between two in particular, before facing forward again.

“Pass. Welcome to the advanced class.”

You froze for a long moment. Then your eyes started to water, and you bowed so low that your head touched the floor. Was this really happening? You’d waited so long, so very long, for this day to come. And… now you were not only being accepted, but put into the advanced class? This was the start of a new era for you.

And now your life could really begin.

**~~~~**

**Your journey to the Academy has come with success. You have found a home as a future Shinigami. Never before this day had you felt so fulfilled as when you heard those words. As a member of the advanced class, you know there are many hurdles and expectations ahead of you, but those will be handled in the distant future. For now you’ll simply have to focus on your next challenge…**

**Your First Day at the Shinigami Academy: Go to Chapter 714**


	369. Chapter 369

“So… would you be willing to train together? I’m not really sure how to go about it, but I learn fast. It’s gotta be better to have two people working together, right?”

The boy looked more awkward than anything. He scratched a bit at the back of his head and then sighed in a resigned manner.

“Sure, I guess… can’t hurt, and I’ll need all the help I can get…”

He didn’t say why, but you didn’t object. You gave a curt nod and a smile. “Me too. I don’t really know what the exams are going to be like, and I wasn’t sure how to prepare… I’ll try my best, though.”

He looked at you with surprise, but quickly masked it. Even afterward, though, relief was evident. This guy was acting extremely odd, like no one you’d never met before. His reactions were totally out of whack with what you were expecting, even if you were sure that he had his reasons.

“Yeah, sounds great. By the way, my name’s Shuuhei Hisagi. Let’s both make it into the Academy together, alright?”

“Sure thing,” you said with a smile.

For once, you started to think that it might actually happen.

~~~~

Hisagi traveled with you across the Rukongai to a place that he said he’d been using to prepare himself for the exams. It was in an undeveloped area; not exactly a park, but wide open and covered with enough brush to make it difficult to spot you from the main roadways.

He didn’t waste any time in getting down to business, either. While he had seemed odd when you first met him and on the way there, as soon as the both of you started training he was going all out. Hisagi took it easily on you at first, showing you the proper way to do the warm-ups, but as soon as he finished instructing you, he started doing them himself and then blew you out of the water.

To make it worse, they really didn’t seem that much like warm-ups.

To you, it was more like a fully-fledged workout, that ended up taking almost an hour on its own. He started off with sit-ups that were simple, but had your core crying out for relief. If you hadn’t been used to your stomach hurting you’d probably never have made it as long as he did; you still could only go at about half the pace, if that. When he finally called to say you were done, you collapsed to the ground and held your abdomen for several seconds, until he strolled over and offered you a hand.

You climbed up on your own, but thanked him for the assistance; you didn’t want to seem that exhausted so early on in the day when you were quite sure the rest would be even worse. Sure enough, the next “warm-up” that he started on pushed you even harder. Push-ups for as long as you could continue, which it quickly became clear was not long. Your legs had gotten plenty of exercise in running away from the people you stole from, but your arms were sadly lacking in the same degree of tone. You were able to keep up with Hisagi… for a few seconds, anyway. He seemed like he’d been doing this for weeks, maybe for months. He kept up the pace until you were down to doing them almost one every several seconds, and finally gave you a rest.

Despite your lax physical fitness, he didn’t show any signs of disappointment or annoyance with you. Maybe it was because he kept going until he worked up a sweat of his own, which you didn’t blame him for. But in fact, the longer you two went on, the greater his subtle smile seemed to grow. He talked you through the proper way to do squats, basic muscle stretches, lunges, and a variety of other quick but intensive stretches that had you working up just enough of a sweat to make you nearly relieved when he finally stopped you.

That relief was short lived when he pointed to another spot in the wooded area just across from him, and motioned for you to step over there.

“Alright, now let’s spar.”

“What with?” You asked nonchalantly, still not too concerned. You weren’t the best, but if he was as patient with you as he was with the exercises, it couldn’t be too bad.

He rubbed the back of his head and a small frown touched his face. “Well, I haven’t got much money, and I haven’t found anyone with some swords to steal… so barehanded is about all I can do for now, sorry.”

“Th-that’s fine,” you said hastily. Inside you were a little less certain. Wooden swords were what you’d hoped for; they left bruises, but that was about it, unless you got really unlucky or were facing off against an actual Shinigami. Bare knuckles on the other hand?

You squared off, hoping to come out of this with some of your dignity intact… and also your bones.

~~~~

“Not… not bad, actually.”

You didn’t think so, as you lay back against a tree with your breath coming in ragged gasps. You felt like you’d been a severe let down; in fact, during the whole fight, he’d nearly doubled the number of blows landed, and each of them felt downright crushing in comparison to the taps you’d gotten in. Worst of all, you were almost certain he’d been holding back. But you weren’t going to complain about that, at least.

“I mean it. You should’ve seen me when- when I first started,” he said with a grunt. He looked off into the distance, off toward the setting sun. “It’s getting late, so it’s as good a time to call it a stop as anyway.”

You nodded at him, but couldn’t shake something. He’d been acting weird the whole time, and while he was helpful, you couldn’t help but be a little curious. But… should you bring it up to him?

**Ask about his behavior: Go to Chapter 715**

**Just let it go: Go to Chapter 716**


	370. Chapter 370

You nodded at him.

“Well, good luck. I’m going to try out too, maybe I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, you too,” he said with a small smile, awkwardness fading a bit.

You turned and walked away, heading back toward your home. It wasn’t too far away, and in no time at all you were lounging again. You’d had enough interesting run ins for the day, and were content to while away the rest of it relaxing and enjoying yourself.

You were so relaxed that it wasn’t long before the sun started to go down and you realized how tired you were quickly becoming. Your eyes started to slowly drift to sleep, and before long, the last night before the exams was washing away before your unconscious mind.

~~~~

Your eyes flickered open at the touch of sun. Your surroundings were hazy for a few moments as your brain tried to wake up fully, before realization came to your mind. Memories, agendas, things to do. You sat up abruptly and looked outside, gauging the angle of the sun as best as you could after years of practice.

Anxiousness filled you as you realized the exams would probably start any minute. You still had to cross Rukongai to get there, not an unreasonable distance, but certainly one that would take you to the absolute limit of the time before the start of the exams. You’d been hoping to get in some more training before the exams, a warm-up if nothing else… but was it worth it? What was more important, looking good and being on time when the exams began, or risking tardiness for being more prepared? In the end, your choice was clear…

**Rush to the examination immediately: Go to Chapter 717**

**Train for a while, before leaving: Go to Chapter 718**


End file.
